Former Brisbane Broncos forward Benjamin Te Kura has continued taking strides towards his NFL dream, completing a workout in Australia with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday.
The 49ers are in Australia ahead of their history-making NFL clash against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday (AEST).
Te Kura was released by the Broncos earlier this year, turning his back on a blossoming NRL career to try his hand at the American version of football.
The forward, who stands at over two metres tall and was rated as a likely contender for a spot in the Broncos engine room next year with the departure of Payne Haas to the South Sydney Rabbitohs and retirement of Corey Jensen, has also completed workouts with the Seahawks and Bears.
While it's unclear if he is edging towards a contract in the NFL, there is understood to be genuine interest from talent scouts in getting him onto a list, given his size and natural athletic ability, and that was only heightened by his workout on Thursday, per multiple sources.
Te Kura, who played five NRL games between his debut in 2024 and his contract release earlier this year, was originally given a leave of absence to attend a training camp that lasted six weeks, before being released officially.
He had been contracted through to the end of 2027 with the Broncos.
The towering former prop has aspirations of becoming an offensive tackle, following in the footsteps of former fringe South Sydney Rabbitoh Jordan Mailata who is now one of the highest-paid Australian global sports stars, signing a new deal with the Philadelphia Eagles believed to be worth over $30 million (AUD) per year.
“I know I can make it, and making the decision to walk away from my Broncos contract should send the message that I am all in,” he said last month.
“Every workout was different and I learned something from every one of them.
“Being inside those environments and seeing the level of detail, professionalism and knowledge involved has only made me hungrier.”
Te Kura is likely to gain an opportunity through the NFL's international pathways program.
