Kansas City Chiefs appear to have officially confirmed the surprise end of their relationship with Louis Rees-Zammit as the Welshman stands on the brink of a move to Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.

Rees-Zammit is set to sign for the Jaguars and take a place on the team’s practice squad for the new season, according to multiple US reports. It had been expected he would remain on the Chiefs’ practice squad despite not making the Super Bowl champions’ 53-man roster, but the Chiefs have now named their back-up players, with the Welshman not among them.

It comes after Rees-Zammit removed all references of the Chiefs and changed his profile picture on all his social media accounts.

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Each NFL team has the option of including an International Pathway Programme player in their practice squad on top of the regular 16, but the Chiefs’ spot has gone to Nigerian offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick.

Assuming Rees-Zammit’s place on the Jaguars practice squad is confirmed, he will train with the main squad for the next season but will not be eligible to play matches unless promoted to the main roster. He can play up to three matches in the event of injuries to first-team players.

The 23-year-old actually played against the Jaguars in his first outing in American football earlier this month. They were also one of the teams who showed interest in him after he initially impressed during the IPP Pro Day.

Rees-Zammit’s parting of ways with the Chiefs is certainly a surprise, with the NFL franchise seemingly committed to being the team to help him develop into a frontline player. Coach Andy Reid had pulled out all the stops to get the former rugby star to sign a three-year deal worth £2.25m but that has now been ripped up.

The Chiefs coaches had also spoken positively about Rees-Zammit’s athletic ability and attitude during his time there, while there were also positive moments in three pre-season appearances.