Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit gave Jordan Petaia some advice
Rugby superstar Jordan Petaia has signed with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers after getting advice from Louis Rees-Zammit about making the switch from rugby to American football.
The 32-time Wallaby has been signed by the California franchise as a tight-end after spending the last few months at the IMG academy in Florida as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Programme - the same camp that Rees-Zammit completed last year.
The Chargers announced the signing on X saying: “Welcome to LA, mate,” on Thursday morning.
“We are thrilled for Jordy, who has quietly planned this move to the NFL for some time,” his new manager Andrew Fairbairn said.
“He has taken a huge risk to depart rugby union for the NFL IPP, with no contractual guarantee.
“After speaking with a few teams since Pro Day last week, we felt the Chargers was the best fit for him as he takes his first step in the NFL.”
Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby
Before Petaia made the decision to leave the Queensland Reds and Wallabies set-ups, the Australian spoke to Rees-Zammit for his advice on how to adapt to the sport.
"I spoke to Louis Rees-Zammit when he entered the program last year and I was fully supportive of him and thought that was awesome for him to make the league and do so well in that,” Petaia said previously.
"We were lucky enough to spend some time with him in camp here and learn from him and take a lot of good advice. He just told us to keep our heads down and work hard; I think work ethic's the biggest thing they thrive on here.
"It's just about covering all aspects of the game and not getting too ahead of yourself - and just enjoying it as well. It's easier to look far ahead without worrying about tomorrow, so I think that's the biggest thing Louis and Jordan [Mailata] said."
Petaia’s NFL dreams were made public by Rees-Zammit last October during a not-so-subtle interview with RugbyPass.
“There are definitely rugby players that I think could make it in the NFL. I mean, I know one person that’s going to try soon,” said Rees-Zammit.
“I mean, I don’t want to ruin things for him but he’s Australian, and yeah, he plays in Australia, and he’s a good athlete. He’s young and still playing union, and he’s a centre.”
Rees-Zammit has also signed an extension to keep him on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster for the 2025/26 season.
Both Petaia and Rees-Zammit will be now hoping to find success similar to fellow Australian Mailata, who was a key part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl win in February.
“Jordan Mailata, coming from Australia, he's probably the best in his position in the league, so he's done tremendous,” said Petaia.
Petaia is now part of a select group of players to play both rugby and American football, joining players such as former England international and Wasp’s all-time leading try scorer Christian Wade.