Jordan Petaia is heading back to rugby after his NFL dream ended – but not in Super Rugby.
As revealed by The Roar, the 31-Test Wallaby has signed a nine-month deal with French Top 14 side Perpignan and will join the club in October. The move comes just weeks after he was cut by the Los Angeles Chargers.
While Rugby Australia explored ways to bring the powerful 25-year-old back into Super Rugby, most rosters for 2026 are already locked in. The short-term French contract, however, leaves the door open for a Wallabies return in time for the 2027 World Cup.
Les Kiss, who will take charge of the Wallabies next year, has long been a fan of Petaia. The coach tried to keep him at the Reds in 2023 before backing his bold NFL gamble.
“Jordie has been a great Reds player,” Kiss said.
“We only wish him the best with his ambitions in American football. We support him. He represented the Queensland jersey proudly as one of the most dynamic players in Australia, if not the world.”
Former Wallaby Justin Harrison described Petaia as an “outstanding talent” and backed Rugby Australia to keep lines of communication open.
“It would be silly not to,” Harrison said on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts.
“He’s clearly an aspirational thinker of the game… For whatever reason, it hasn’t worked in NFL. Notwithstanding the fact that this seems to be one of the hardest competitions in the world to get a contract. So good on you for trying. Why not?”
Petaia’s career has already had plenty of twists. Michael Cheika, then Wallabies coach, threw him in as a teenager at the 2019 World Cup, where he shone against England in the quarter-final. Cheika believes his NFL experience could help him fulfil his potential.
“He’ll be more mature now and these would be the years where I think you could get a lot from a player like that,” Cheika said.
For now, Petaia’s comeback will run through Perpignan – but the bigger picture is whether this stint in France is just a stepping stone back to the Wallabies.
Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
