Sydney Roosters prop De La Salle Va’a says the NFL has invited him to trials, and he plans to ask the newly crowned premiers for a 10-week off-season release to chase a place in the league’s International Player Pathway program.
The 21-year-old revealed his cross-code ambition to the Sydney Morning Herald’s Adrian Proszenko in a story published on Tuesday 6 October, just two days after the Roosters edged Newcastle 19-18 in the grand final.
Va’a stands two metres tall and weighs 121 kilograms, the Herald reported. He has played three first-grade games since his 2024 debut, the latest against South Sydney in round 27, and is contracted to the club until the end of 2027.
NFL comes calling
“Look, there’s been [NFL] interest,” Va’a told the Herald. “They’ve reached out and invited me to some trials. I think I’d be silly to not at least give it a crack, see how it goes.”
He added that he still had commitments to the Roosters and would have those conversations with the club when the time came.
Why he wants 10 weeks
“The plan is to ask for a 10-week release because if I make it through to the camp, the IPP, that goes for 10 weeks,” Va’a said. “Obviously, the dream scenario is 10 weeks, and in case I don’t make it, I come back, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
According to the NFL, athletes selected for the International Player Pathway, which began in 2017, spend 10 weeks training on the field and in the classroom in Fort Myers, Florida, before showcasing their skills to NFL club scouts.
Position still to be decided
Va’a said the scouts had not settled on a position for him yet.
“Obviously, I’m big enough to play offensive line if I put on some size, but they said, based off the video footage, they felt my athleticism could also put me in potentially another position,” he said.
A rare path from league
Few rugby league players have made the jump. Jarryd Hayne played for the San Francisco 49ers, while Jordan Mailata went from South Sydney’s reserve grade to a Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mailata is among the IPP’s best-known success stories.
Former Broncos prop Ben Te Kura is chasing the same dream. Brisbane initially gave him six weeks to explore his gridiron prospects before releasing him from the rest of his contract in July, the Herald reported in August. Va’a is hoping the Roosters will offer him a similar window.
The Roosters had not publicly commented on Va’a’s plans as of Tuesday afternoon.
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