Wallaby Petaia quits Australian rugby for NFL 'dream'

Australian international Jordan Petaia said Tuesday he has quit rugby to chase his NFL dream, joining a growing list of players setting their sights on the lucrative American sport.

Petaia has earned 31 caps for the Wallabies since his 2019 debut, and is considered one of Australian rugby's most promising backline talents.

"The decision to step away from rugby hasn't been easy and one that took a great deal of consideration," the 24-year-old said in a statement on social media.

"It feels like the right time in my career to pursue this dream I've had for a long time."

Les Kiss, Petaia's club coach at the Reds, said he was "one of the most dynamic players in Australia, if not the world."

The NFL said Petaia had joined its International Player Pathway program, which gives stars from other sports the chance to be signed by one of 32 teams in the league.

Starting in January, he will spend 10 weeks learning the game in Florida before he gets the chance to impress scouts at a "pro day" in March.

Petaia follows in the footsteps of Australian Jordan Mailata, a little-known rugby league player signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 after coming through the programme.

Mailata, who has impressed during his six years with the Eagles, signed a $66 million contract extension earlier this year.

Welsh speedster Louis Rees-Zammit stunned the rugby world in January when he quit the sport on the eve of the Six Nations and announced his NFL ambitions.

Rees-Zammit was used sparingly in pre-season games, and was cut from the Kansas City Chiefs' 53-man playing roster.

Six athletes have made active rosters for NFL teams after completing the pathway program, according to the NFL.