As he gets set to sign a multi-year contract extension with the Brisbane Broncos, superstar Reece Walsh has declared that he is open to playing in the NFL in the future.
While he may not be leaving Red Hill anytime soon, the fullback revealed that he is open to one day testing himself in the American sport.
It is understood that his next rugby league contract will see him remain at the Broncos until either the end of the 2028 or 2029 season, meaning it will be a while until a potential defection could become a reality.
At only 21, it is likely that he will still be in his prime at the end of his next contract, and he already has the makings of an NFL player with his lightning speed, athletic ability, and charisma on and off the field.
“I'm not too sure. I'm so early in my career," Walsh said when asked by The Courier Mail if he would test himself in the NFL.
“Those boys (Jarryd Hayne and Val Holmes) did a lot in their careers and then made the change.
“I have so much more I want to do in the game but maybe in a few years I would ... we'll see what happens.”
If Walsh does defect to the NFL in the future, he wouldn't be the first and will follow in the footsteps of Jarryd Hayne and Valentine Holmes.
Leaving the NRL in his prime, Hayne decided to test himself in the American sport and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers on a three-year contract as an undrafted free agent.
In 2015, he played eight games for the 49ers before being waived by the team at the end of the year, and subsequently, he announced his retirement from the sport less than six months later.
Holmes was signed by the New York Jets in 2019 after being released by the Cronulla Sharks. However, unlike Hayne, Holmes would only play pre-season games for the club and didn't play an NFL game despite being added to the Jets' practice roster - he was released two months later and rejoined the NRL.
