Australian international Jordan Petaia announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the world of rugby union to achieve his ” dream “ to play in the NFL, the prestigious American football championship, adding to the long list of players who have set their sights on this very lucrative sport.
At 24, Petaia has 31 caps for the Wallabies since his debut in 2019 and the winger is considered one of the most promising young talents in Australian rugby.
“The decision to walk away from rugby was not easy and required a lot of reflection”he explained in a press release published on social networks.
Petaia adds feeling that “this is the right time” in his career “to make this dream come true” which he has had for a long time.
Les Kiss, his coach at the Queensland Reds, described him as “one of the most dynamic players in Australia, if not the world”.
For its part, the NFL indicated that Jordan Petaia was joining its International Player Pathway program (IPP), which allows great players from other sports to be recruited by one of the league’s 32 teams.
From January, the Australian will spend ten weeks in Florida learning to play this new sport before having the chance to be noticed by recruiters during a scouting session, called « pro day »a March.
Petaia follows in the footsteps of another Australian, Jordan Mailata, who came from rugby league and who joined the Phidadelphia Eagles in 2018 after benefiting from the same program. This year, he signed a three-year, $66 million contract extension with the Eagles.
Before Petaia, Welsh international winger Louis Rees-Zammit surprised the rugby world in January by announcing he was also leaving the oval ball, on the eve of the Six Nations tournament, to join the NFL.
Jordan Mailata, the Australian offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, is replaced during an NFL match against the Washington Commanders, in Philadelphia, November 14, 2024 / ELSA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
The Gloucester alum played little in preseason games before being removed from the Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man roster, but he was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars and is still waiting to make his big-league debut .
According to the NFL, six athletes from other sports joined the rosters of American championship teams after following its training program.
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