Chiefs’ Andy Reid did the one thing he never does to sign ex rugby star Louis Rees-Zammi

Andy Reid wanted his man and got him

The Kansas City Chiefs head coach showed once again that he’s one step ahead of the rest of the NFL by signing former Wales rugby union star Louis Rees-Zammit on a three-year deal.

The 23-year-old quit his previous sport in January to pursue a dream career in the NFL and got his wish after impressing in the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program (IPPP).

At the time, many questioned the Chiefs’ decision to sign a player from a different sport, but ‘Big Red’ saw something special in the flying winger and pulled out all the stops to get him.

That included direct calls and messages to ‘Rees-Lightning’ – something Reid never usually does.

Speaking on The Big Jim Show, James Cook, the head of the IPPP and Ree-Zammit’s NFL mentor, spoke about the lengths Reid and the Chiefs went to in orderto the Chiefs, their coach Andy Reid was texting, calling him, their General Manager Brett Veach was texting, calling him,” Cook said.

“I had scouts calling me, asking me what was important to him in choosing a location to go to.

“When you see that kind of buy-in from the club, you know they’re serious about it.

“The GM told Louis: ‘Coach Reid doesn’t call everyone, he doesn’t even call everyone on their 90-man roster when they go into training camp. So believe that we’re all in on this and we’re committed to you’.

That was Louis’ big thing from the beginning,” Cook added. “He wanted to go somewhere where they had a plan for him, where they could see him being a contributor in X number of years and they were able to lay out a blueprint of how they were going to get him there.”

Reid is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history and clearly sees something in Rees-Zammit

Reid is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history and clearly sees something in Rees-Zammit
Mahomes and the Chiefs are bidding for three straight Super Bowl titles

Mahomes and the Chiefs are bidding for three straight Super Bowl
Rees-Zammit will join the offseason roster for the Chiefs and once again have to prove himself in order to make their final 53-man roster for next season.

The Welsh star was one of 16 players to take part in the IPP, a ten-week crash course designed to teach the required skills to succeed in the NFL.

He is said to have impressed numerous league scouts at his pro day and posted a 4.43 time in his 40-yard dash as well as a 9ft 7in broad jump and 29-inch vertical jump.

The 6ft 3in, 200lbs ex rugby man has an incredibly unique skillset and is blessed with size and speed that could be a ‘secret’ weapon for Kansas City on special teams next season.

He is tipped to play running back or wide receiver, meaning quarterback Patrick Mahomes could have a new deadly weapon to utilise as Kansas City bid for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat in 2024-25.

Rees-Zammit made his Wales rugby debut in 2020 and was capped 31 times by his country but admitted to always having the NFL on his mind.

“It’s always been on my mind,” he said. “My dad has been a massive role model to me because he brought me up loving the sport.

“He played the sport when he was younger so it’s quite easy to love the game because I’ve been watching it from such a young age. So, it’s always been in the back of my head, but it’s just amazing to finally do it now.”