Sydney: Former Australian Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne announced on Tuesday he has secured a deal to play American football with the San Francisco 49ers.
Hayne, who has long held a dream to play in the National Football League, played 176 games for the Parramatta Eels in Sydney, scoring 103 tries, before announcing an unprecedented code swap late last year.
He said he had agreed to a rookie contract with the 49ers, which guarantees him a spot at the club for 15-20 weeks.
But the 27-year-old will need to further impress in the lead-up to the next NFL season, when the 49ers cut their roster to 53 players in August.
Hayne had attracted interest from two other NFL clubs, the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, but said he preferred the 49ers because their new head coach Jim Tomsula had a good knowledge of rugby.
“For me this [deal] is a small step in the right direction,” he said. “The hard stuff starts now. Mentally I’m ready for anything. I’m going to do what it takes.”
As well as being a star performer for Parramatta, Hayne also played 20 State of Origin matches for New South Wales and won 12 caps with the Kangaroos, the national team.
