Monday 8 April 2019 17:20, UK
Former England and Wasps winger Christian Wade has signed for Buffalo Bills as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program.
Wade announced in October he was retiring from rugby union in order to pursue his dream of competing in the NFL, and looks set to complete the switch as one of four athletes allocated to an AFC East franchise in the off-season.
The international player programme, instituted in 2017, aims to give athletes from outside the USA a chance to train alongside established NFL stars in a bid to earn a place in a team's squad, and rotates between divisions each year.
Wade was one of seven athletes who have been training in Florida with the goal of landing one of four placements in the 2019 programme, and on Monday the Bills announced Wade would be joining their ranks.
The 27-year-old, who remains the Premiership's third-best tryscorer of all time with 82, said on his Instagram account following the announcement: "I'm lost for words right now... I'll update the caption soon. Give God thanks!"
Wade - who earned a solitary England cap in 2013 against Argentina - participated in the NFL's Pro Day last week, where he was timed at 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.
