WEDNESDAY, 4:13pm: Hayne’s signing has been made official, and the NFL’s transaction wire lists him as a kick returner, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
MONDAY, 10:01pm: Australian rugby league star Jarryd Hayne announced on Monday night that he will sign with the 49ers, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post writes. Hayne received a $100K guarantee from San Francisco, an impressive sum considering that he’s never played American football before in his life.
“I’m going to be a San Francisco 49er,” Hayne said before putting on a 49ers hat.
49ers coach Jim Tomsula has a background in NFL Europe developing Europeans into NFL players, which helped push Hayne towards choosing SF. Agent Jack Bechta noted that his client also visited with the Seahawks and Lions and indicated that they also had a lot to offer in terms of their plan for developing him. Hayne’s game plan will be to contribute as a return specialist while also trying to make it as a running back. Despite his star status down under, Hayne is prepared to fight for a job and start out on special teams.
The Saints, Vikings, Broncos, Titans, Buccaneers, and Jets also showed interest in the 6-foot-2, 226 pounder.