Former England rugby union player Christian Wade has signed for the Buffalo Bills, the NFL team has announced.
Wade quit Gallagher Premiership side Wasps in October to join the NFL's International Pathway Program, which offers players from outside of America a route into the sport.
The 27-year-old was expected to be included in the NFL Draft later this month but has instead signed for the Bills, who finished with a 6-10 record last season.
Welcome to the NFL 🏈 @ChristianWade3 signs with the @buffalobills 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/pMpzZ5NY6q — NFL UK (@NFLUK) April 8, 2019
After the news was announced, Wade said on his official Twitter account that he was "lost for words right now."
The Bills will get a roster exemption from the NFL for Wade through the International Player Pathway Program, allowing them to carry 91 players instead of the typical 90-player roster.
Wade has been identified as a running back by the NFL club, after scoring 82 tries as a wing for Wasps in the Premiership.
I'm lost for word right now... I'll update the caption soon. Give God thanks! 🙌🏿🙌🏿 https://t.co/3yLZd4RTq4 — Christian Wade (@ChristianWade3) April 8, 2019
Wade, third-highest try scorer in Premiership history in England, participated in an NFL Pro Day last week and recorded a time of 4.53 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
He follows in the footsteps of former Worcester Warriors forward Christian Scotland-Williamson, who was allocated to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018 before being signed to the team's practice squad.
Scotland-Williamson went on to sign a reserves contract with the Steelers at the beginning of this year.
ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport Staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'd0eb5608-2fa4-44b0-bc8b-d55e27c0d9e7');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:gridiron,sport:other');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Christian Wade signs deal with NFL\u2019s Buffalo Bills'});
