Louis Rees-Zammit spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs in the summer of 2024, and the Wales winger has opened up on his time with Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes
Louis Rees-Zammit has revealed what it was like to be with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce(Image: Getty Images)
Louis Rees-Zammit has opened up about his mind-blowing experience with Kansas City Chiefs superstars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.
The former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver, who began his career as a rugby player, spent a summer with the Chiefs in 2024 before being released. They were the first to sign Rees-Zammit after his switch from rugby, following an impressive performance at an NFL Pro Day in Florida.
Although he never played a regular-season game for the Chiefs, he did participate in pre-season matches and trained alongside some of the league’s top players, including Kelce and Mahomes. One major difference between football and rugby is the salary.
For instance, last season’s highest-paid rugby player was Owen Farrell at Racing 92 in France, where the Englishman reportedly earned around £1.2 million ($1.6M) per season. In contrast, Mahomes has a 10-year, $450M contract with the Chiefs, and he isn’t even the top player in the NFL when it comes to finances.
Kelce reportedly earns around $16M annually with his Chiefs contract. He is also engaged to Taylor Swift, arguably the biggest music star in the world right now, providing him with additional income opportunities.
Rees-Zammit experienced a culture shock after joining the Chiefs(Image: (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File))
Now back playing rugby, Rees-Zammit appeared on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod. He chatted with ex-Scotland rugby international Jim Hamilton, former England star Andy Goode, and Welsh icon Dan Biggar, revealing the wealth disparity between him and the Chiefs duo.
“What chips were Travis and Patrick Mahomes chucking in? And what were you chucking in at that casino? Give us a comparison,” asked Biggar about a casino trip Rees-Zammit made with the pair.
“Me? Wow,” he began. “I think I took out £1,000 ($1,340) and I nearly cried when I lost it. I remember seeing £7,000 ($9,380) chips going down like they were fun coupons! There was definitely a difference between my wages and theirs, let’s just say that!”
Kelce and Mahomes splashed the cash(Image: (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough))
Rees-Zammit also gave fans a glimpse into the fame of the Chiefs duo. From riding in blacked-out cars to being surrounded by bodyguards, the Welshman pulled back the curtain.
“It’s hard to even talk about it, to be honest,” he admitted. “It’s so different, the wages those boys are on and just the different lifestyle they have compared to any of us rugby boys. They’ve pretty much got unlimited money, so they could literally do what they wanted.”
Hamilton probed further: “Like what? Give us some insight. What kind of things are they getting up to, these great athletes?” To which Rees-Zammit responded: “To be fair, those two are so famous that when I went out with them, we’d have to go in a blacked-out van.
Rees-Zammit has returned to rugby after an 18-month stint in the US(Image: David Eulitt, Getty Images)
“We’d have to pull up to the back of the stadium to go into their private box. You’d have to go up the back lift. You wouldn’t be able to walk in front of many people because they’d have all their security team there making sure no one can get near them.
“We went to a concert. Again, it was pull up to the back. You go up the back stairs into a box. Then you go straight back down the same way. Went to a football game, exactly the same. Personally, I don’t think I’d even want that life.
“They’re so famous in America that they can’t even go out. Especially Travis now. Being engaged to Taylor Swift, who probably might be the most famous woman on this planet. He can’t do anything that we could do. You wouldn’t be able to go to Pontcanna and go to the Poncanna Inn and have a pint. It was just a mad experience.”