A year ago, Brandon Lloyd was catching passes from Tom Brady. Now, the former New England Patriots wide receiver is putting his football career on hold in favor of an acting role in a zombie movie.

Lloyd, 32, will appear in “After Effect,” a direct-to-DVD zombie film starring Daniel Baldwin, USA Today’s For The Win blog reports. The former wide receiver portrays Sgt. Chuck Lloyd, a military officer attempting to stop an apparent zombie outbreak.

“When college students sign up for what seems a simple paid research study, they soon realize their lives are in danger. Unfortunately they’ve unknowingly volunteered their bodies as human collateral in an ongoing U.S. military experiment,” the “After Effect” description on IMDB.com reads.

Despite his lack of professional acting experience, Lloyd is one of the few recognizable names associated with “After Effect.” For The Win points out that 15 of the film’s 26 listed cast members don’t have head shots. In addition, director David McElroy is best known for having served as an assistant to the producers of a Kathy Griffin television special.

Still, Lloyd appears to be confident that his foray into acting will lead to better opportunities than his career in the NFL. The former Pro Bowl wide receiver reportedly turned down overtures from at least six NFL teams, including the Patriots, the New York Jets, and the San Francisco 49ers, ProFootball Talk reports.

Lloyd’s fans won’t have to wait long to check out the former football star’s acting debut. His “After Effect” zombie movie is slated to be release at Wal-Mart and video on-demand outlets on Oct. 8, MassLive.com reports. In addition, a 50-second trailer depicting Lloyd’s first encounter with one of the film’s zombies can be viewed below.

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