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Adam Zaruba isn’t headed back to the HSBC Sevens Series, and he won’t be signing with a Major League Rugby franchise either. At least not for a while. The Canada Sevens star has signed a futures contract with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, a deal that will keep him focused on football through to the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
It’s the second time Zaruba has been picked up by the Eagles. He signed with the team in July of last year and tried out as a tight end until September, when he was informed he would not be included on the practice roster. With the door open to re-join the Canadian sevens program from coach Damian McGrath and an option to move to the 15-a-side game with MLR, Zaruba’s patience has been rewarded with a second chance to break into the big leagues.
While his chances of making a return to rugby looking less likely, at 26 years old there is still time to make a return should he fall short of his aspirations. The Olympics are still more than two years away and the potential of playing on the world’s biggest stage – should Canada qualify – could yet see him back with the team, similar to Nate Ebner’s brief stay with the Eagles in 2016.
