Meet Ben Te Kura. A 6-foot-9, 268-pound rugby league player from Australia, Te Kura is swapping the National Rugby League for the NFL. Te Kura has swapped the Brisbane Broncos for a chance to play in the NFLGettyAs he pursues a new career in the United States, the Brisbane Broncos honored his wishes to be released from his contract so that he could travel to Atlanta to attend a six-week NFL training camp in a bid to play in 2027. “I’m very grateful to the Broncos for everything they’ve done to support me in pursuing an opportunity in the NFL,” Te Kura said via the Broncos’ official website. “Making my NRL debut for the Broncos against the Storm in 2024 was such an unbelievable moment for myself and my family.“I owe the Club so much for the faith they’ve had in me right from day one.”Broncos General Manager of Football Operations, Troy Thomson, was happy to oblige Te Kura’s request for a career change. “This is an incredible opportunity and one we felt was important to help facilitate,” Thomson said. “Everyone at the Broncos wish Ben and his family all the very best for the future.” Te Kura, who made just five appearances for the Broncos since his debut in Round 5 of the 2024 season, leaves the NRL as the tallest ever player to play in the sport. Now, the plan for the 22-year-old front rower is to considerably bulk up in an effort to try and make the NFL as an offensive tackle. He has drawn comparisons to fellow Aussie Jordan Mailata, who is one of the biggest success stories of the NFL’s International Player Pathway.Te Kura has dreams of following in the footsteps of Jordan Mailata and making it to the NFLGettyRees-Zammit pursued an NFL career, but ultimately returned to rugby in 2025GettyStanding 6-foot-8, and weighing in at 365-pound, Mailata is regarded as one of the best (and biggest) offensive tackles in the league.He was selected in the seventh round – 233rd overall – of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he has gone on to become a hugely integral member of the O-line, winning a Super Bowl in 2024.There is also a huge financial discrepancy between the two sports, which could also be a motivating factor for Te Kura as he embarks on this journey.The highest-paid players in the NRL reportedly make just under $1 million USD annually.Mailata signed a three-year, $66 million contract back in 2024, of which $48 million was guaranteed.At the time of signing his contract extension, this saw him ranked the fourth-highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL, behind only Laremy Tunsil, Trent Williams, and Andrew Thomas. NFL's Greatest......Ranking the top 10......Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and moreTight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?But making the NFL is not easy, as Welsh rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit could attest to, having quit rugby for football, only to return back back to rugby three years later, citing that he was ‘wasting my talent.’Te Kura, therefore, knows that he has a very long journey ahead of him if he wants to be taken with one of the 257 picks in the 2027 draft. Having been released from the Broncos, the hard work begins now as he bids to try and impress scouts from all 32 teams in the NFL, and convince one of them to take the gamble on him, and successfully follow in the footsteps of his countryman. Stay up to date on all things NFL across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.