Kansas City Chiefs superstars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were gambling with huge money, with Welshman Louis Rees-Zammit saying they pretty much have ‘unlimited money’.

Bristol Bears winger Louis Rees-Zammit has revealed what it was like to rub shoulders with Kansas City Chiefs superstars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. The former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver spent time at the Chiefs in the summer of 2024 before being cut in the August.

They were the first club to pick up Rees-Zammit following his bombshell move from rugby, after he impressed scouts at an NFL Pro Day in Florida. Despite the fact he never played a regular season game for the Chiefs, he played pre-season matches and spent time training with some of the best players the league has to offer, with Kelce and Mahomes perhaps the biggest there.

One of the biggest things that separates American football and rugby off the field is the pay. For comparison, the highest paid rugby player last season was Owen Farrell at Racing 92, reportedly on around £1.2million per season.

Mahomes, on the other hand, is on a 10-year, £335million contract with Chiefs, and he isn’t even the highest paid player in the NFL. Kelce reportedly takes home around £12million a year with his Chiefs contract.

He is also engaged to Taylor Swift, arguably the most famous woman on the planet right now, so there are plenty of other opportunities for income streams for the NFL star.

Now that he has returned to rugby, Rees-Zammit spoke on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod with ex-Scotland star Jim Hamilton, former England international Andy Goode and Wales legend Dan Biggar, and exemplified how wealthy the Chiefs duo are.

“What chips were Travis and Patrick Mahomes chucking in? And what were you chucking in at that casino? Give us a comparison,” asked Biggar about a casino trip he made with the pair.

“Me? Wow,” began Rees-Zammit. “I think I took out £1,000 and I nearly cried when I lost it. I remember seeing £7k chips going down like they were fun coupons! There was definitely a difference between my wages and theirs, put it that way!”

Rees-Zammit also touched on just how famous the Chiefs duo. From being transported in blacked out cars to being flanked by bodyguards, the Welshman gave fans a peek behind the curtain.

“It’s hard to even talk about it, to be honest,” said Rees-Zammit. “It’s so different, the wages those boys are on and just the different lifestyle they have compared to any of us rugby boys. They’ve pretty much got unlimited money, so they could literally do what they wanted.”

Hamilton asked: “Like what? Give us some insight. What kind of things are they getting up to, these great athletes?” Rees-Zammit replied: “To be fair, those two are so famous that when I went out with them, we’d have to go in a blacked-out van.

“We’d have to pull up to the back of the stadium to go into their private box. You’d have to go up the back lift. You wouldn’t be able to walk in front of many people because they’d have all their security team there making sure no one can get near them.

“We went to a concert. Again, it was pull up to the back. You go up the back stairs into a box. Then you go straight back down the same way. Went to a football game, exactly the same. Personally, I don’t think I’d even want that life.

“They’re so famous in America that they can’t even go out. Especially Travis now. Being engaged to Taylor Swift, who probably might be the most famous woman on this planet. He can’t do anything that we could do. You wouldn’t be able to go to Pontcanna and go to the Poncanna Inn and have a pint. It was just a mad experience.”