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international
Wallabies back Jordan Petaia spoke about his short-lived NFL adventure, revealing that his ill-fated attempt to train for a misdiagnosed injury cost him his American football dream.
Petaia left Queensland Red in 2024 to continue his career in the NFL.
Things looked promising when Petaia signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in April 2025 on a three-year deal as part of the International Player Pathway.
But a lingering hamstring injury that turned out to be more serious than first thought eventually caused him to go down, and the Chargers released Petaia just four months later.
Petaia is back rugby rank – he first played in France before recently signing with Japanese side Urayasu D-Rocks – and is now in Perth with the Wallabies squad ahead of Sunday’s Test against South Africa at Optus Stadium.
The 26-year-old loved his time in the NFL, but said the initial diagnosis of a minor hamstring injury ended up being much worse.
“I was kind of misdiagnosed there,” Petaia said AAP.
“I kept training through it. It’s tough out there when you’re new to the sport and you’re trying to prove yourself.
“Then I ended up getting a second opinion on it. I had a hamstring (problem), which was unfortunate.
“But that’s sport, and then obviously he signed a medical settlement and ended up going back to Australia.
“There’s no bad blood with a misdiagnosis. I think it’s just bad luck.”
Petaia, who ended up needing eight to 10 weeks to recover from the injury, knew something was wrong as he prepared for one of the preseason games.
“It just wasn’t good,” Petaia said.
“I was warming up and I was just like, ‘I don’t think that’s going to be right.’ And a week after that, I went back to rehab.”
Petaya’s “go-with-the-flow” mentality means that instead of dwelling on his missed opportunity in the NFL, he’s now excited about what awaits him in rugby.
And with the home World Cup just over a year away, there’s plenty to draw from.
For now, Petaia is more focused on learning the names of his new Wallabies teammates, given he was last in Australia’s gold at the 2023 World Cup.
He said he left his rugby playing 102kg to 110kg as he pursues his NFL dream, given the need for more strength and less conditioning in American sports.
Now back inside rugbyPetaia said he is back to around 100kg and feels fit and ready to take on the Springboks.
But the fun experiences from his time in the NFL are still highly valued.
“It was cool catching balls from (Chargers quarterback) Justin Herbert,” Petaia said.
“And lining up around guys like Derwin James was a crazy thing, and trying to block guys like Khalil Mack — just having names like that and being around the building is an experience in itself.”
