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Super Bowl champion Jesse Williams has revealed that “a lot” of high profile NRL and rugby union players have messaged him about jumping codes, to pursue an American Football career.
Williams wasn’t the first Australian to play in the NFL, but his disrupted career was by far the most inspirational, and continues to motivate others to chase their own dreams.
After a stellar career with collegiate powerhouse Alabama, which included two national championships, the defensive tackle was picked 137th overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2013 Draft.
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While a knee injury sidelined Williams for the entirety of his rookie campaign, he his name into sporting folklore as the Seahawks won Super Bowl 48 43-8 against Denver.
Even though he was placed on the injured reserve list, Williams became the first Australian to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and win a Super Bowl ring.
But at 24-years-old, he was diagnosed with papillary type 2 cancer and required kidney surgery, which ultimately ended his NFL career.
Ahead of the 2022 NFL season, Williams told Fox Sports that “people’s favourite” rugby players have reached out to him as they consider moving to America.
“I’ve had DMs from all different types of people’s favourite NRL and rugby union athletes about trying to go over, so I know it’s something of interest,” Williams said.
“I definitely think the capabilities are there. Would it be a sharp learning curve? Yes, but I feel like with the pathways growing and so much of these guys following the NFL, I feel like it’s something that could be realistic in the future.
“It’s a different breed of athlete. It’s very tough to compare guys.
“You look at DK Metcalf compared to some of the guys (in Australia), not so much physicality but also mindset and off the field stuff and their approach to training and their body, it’s leaps and bounds different.
“There definitely is a few guys that I’ve seen, like Sonny Bill (Williams) or those cross code athletes that I feel easily have the skill sets to merge over to the NFL.”
Jarryd Hayne was another catalyst for Australian athletes achieving what was once believed to be impossible in the NFL.
An emotional Hayne announced in 2014 that he was leaving rugby league behind to pursue an opportunity with the San Francisco 49ers.
While the two-time Dally M medallist proved his world class athletic ability to the world by making their 53-man roster, he left to chase his Olympic dream with the Fijian Rugby Sevens team.
But what both Williams and Hayne managed to achieve has helped usher in a new era of success and passion for the sport, with a number of Australians having followed suit.
Former South Sydney under-20s player Jordan Mailata has taken America by storm, having become a mainstay of the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line after he was drafted in 2018.
Mailata was offered an incredible $64 million USD ($92m AUD) four-year contract extension earlier this year, with the Eagles looking to protect quarterback Jalen Hurts as best as they can.
But more recently, the rugby league world watched the start of a familiar story unfold, as Valentine Holmes left his promising NRL career behind to become a running back.
Holmes was the most high-profile code hopper since the man known as the ‘Hayne Plane’ to chase NFL flory, with the Maroons star running out for the New York Jets during the 2019 pre-season.
“Valentine Holmes I feel like was probably the final straw for a lot of guys like ‘this is actually quite realistic’,” Williams added.
“I’ve had a lot of DMs over the years. I think that it’s only going to get more and more.
“Once athletes here start working out or seeing first-hand some of the benefits that come from playing in the US and the opportunities that stem from that, I think it will open a few people’s eyes.
“I feel like it few have a bit of success in the next few years, I don’t see why it can’t be somewhat of a stable stream of guys going over.
More than 30 Australians have taken America head on since 2004, where Prokick coach Nathan Chapman played a few pre-season games with the Green Bay Packers.
Chapman has helped countless prospects talent their talents over the States as a punter, which has almost stereotypically been the positions Australian’s are most well-known for.
Seattle’s Michael Dickson and San Francisco’s Mitch Wishnowsky are among the best punters in the league at the moment, and both have backgrounds in Aussie rules.
Dickson was included in the All-Star Pro Bowl in 2018, while Wishnowsky played in a Super Bowl against Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs in 2020.
But since Williams burst onto the scene with both Alabama and the Seahawks, prospects from Down Under have started to break the mould.
Defensive end Adam Gotsis will suit up for Jacksonville against this season – six years after he became the highest-drafted Australian-born player in NFL history, picked by the Denver Broncos.
Melbourne-born offensive tackle Daniel Faalele will also look to make his mark on the league this season after he was drafted in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens this year.
“I speak closely a lot with Adam Gotsis, he’s been a close friend for many years, and honestly I’m excited to see guys continue their career and be successful,” he said.
“Obviously the goal of a lot of our Australians over there is sort of get to the point where we don’t have to just be called the Australian person on the team.
“A lot of those guys, Jordan and Adam, and a lot of the kickers as well, are doing well enough to stand on their own skill set and hold their own as well.
“I’m hoping to see a lot of guys just continue and honestly I just want a lot of the guys to stay healthy and be able to continue their seasons.
“I’ve spoken to a bunch of them and I’m lucky enough to know a bunch of them personally, so I try and stay in contact with a lot of them.
“I’m hoping in the next few years, with the success of those guys over there, we can get a few more and hopefully kick something off down here.”
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