Jarryd Hayne NFL: Five burning questions after Eels superstar’s stunning switch from NRL Jarryd Hayne has stunned rugby league by quitting to pursue an NFL career. Here’s five burning questions as the outgoing Eels superstar tries to make the incredible switch. - Which team could he play for? The speculation immediately raged that Hayne would sign with reigning NFL champions the Seattle Seahawks, given he just recently visited the organisation for an off-season tour. However, the Eels superstar insisted today he had “not signed a contract with anyone” and would need to earn a deal. Seattle would actually seem a long shot, if he’s seen as a potential running back, given the Seahawks have one of the league’s best in Marshawn Lynch. There are 32 teams in the NFL. “I’m going to go as a rookie, someone starting from the bottom and that excites me,” he said. It is unlikely he would have taken the drastic measure of quitting the NRL had he not had serious interest from somewhere within the NFL, so he will likely be linked to certain teams in coming days, weeks, months. Hayne himself declared cracking the NFL was a 12-month project. He indicated that should he return to the NRL, it would only be with Parramatta - but at the moment, his love for the club was not enough to keep him in the NRL. “Emotion was keeping me in rugby league, I didn’t feel like it was challenging in the way I need to be challenged,” he said. - What position would he play? NFL superstar Reggie Bush touted Hayne as a running back during a visit to Australia during the State of Origin period. “This guy - wow,’’ he said after watching highlights of Hayne. “He actually looks like an NFL running back. Looks like he could come play with us tomorrow.” Hayne’s combination of size, power and speed, which has made him one of the most difficult players to tackle in the NRL and taken him to two Dally M Medals, would seem custom made for a running back. Other possible options could be as a cornerback or punt/kick returner, given his expertise as a fullback. Hayne himself said this may be the easiest transition. “Ultimately I think offense would be the easiest transition... the easiest transition would be a punt returner or kick returner,” he said. “This isn’t going to be an easy transition and I’m aware of that.” Punt and kick returners do not tend to exclusively fulfill that special teams role - meaning he would need to cover another position. Hayne revealed he was considering trying has hand as a wide receiver. - What must Hayne do physically to make the switch - and can he? Not as much as you may think, though his training will no doubt morph towards building greater strength and explosive power. At 187cm, Hayne is taller than all of the NFL’s top five running backs (rated by the league as Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, Marshawn Lynch and Eddie Lacy), and at 100kg he also has most of them covered for weight. Rather than being an 80-minute player, his role will be geared around providing short, sharp, dynamic bursts. “I probably won’t do as much fitness, which I’m excited about,” he said. “There’ll be a big focus on speed – I have an athletics background. Naturally the game’s based around power and speed, which my game’s all about. That’s why it’s exciting.” If he moves toward being a wide receiver and kick returner, he would need to boost speed while becoming much leaner and boosting agility. Hayne said he would first go into a training camp in Los Angeles. He was adamant he had the talent to make the switch and was prepared to put in the necessary work. “I believe have the talent, I believe I have the speed, I’m a quick learner…I have no doubts it’s going to be tough,” he said. An elite 40-yard dash time for the NFL, a key performance indicator, is around 4.5 seconds. Peterson’s best is 4.38sec. - What kind of money could he earn? The very top of the tree for running back contracts (assuming he plays that position) is Minnesota Vikings’ controversial superstar Adrian Peterson, who on average rakes in an eye-watering $14.3 million per season. The next rung down is Philadelphia Eagles superstar LeSean McCoy, on an average of $9 million per season. Hayne was one of the highest paid players in the NRL, raking in a relatively paltry $1 million per season. Should Hayne become a second-string running back, his pay may be about the same as his rugby league earnings. The top wide receiver contract in the NFL is worth about $15 million per season, which belongs to Miami’s Mike Wallace. A kick return specialist, like Atlanta superstar Devin Hester, makes about $3 million per season. In his press conference, Hayne revealed that his talks with the Eels over a contract extension would have made him the highest-paid player in the NRL - -on about $1.35 million per year. “It’s not financial … it’s for the challenge and following my heart,” he insisted. “I’m always telling people to chase their dreams and follow their hearts, if I don’t live by that I’m not being honest with myself. “I’m a kid from Minto and my whole dream was to buy my mum a house and I did that and I guess everything eles has been a bonus.” - How many Aussies have been there before him? Australia has had Colin Ridgway, Darren Bennett, Ben Graham, Mat McBriar, Colin Scotts, Brad Wing, Hayden Smith, Sav Rocca, Chris Bryan play in the NFL – nine in total. Jesse Williams (Seattle) and David Yankey (Minnesota) are currently on NFL rosters and hopeful of earning games. Colin Scotts was the second Australian to play in the NFL and came from a rugby background, as did Smith. Should Hayne ultimately become a running back, he would play a more high-profile position than any of the Aussies to have gone before him, with most of the recent crop punters from AFL backgrounds. Pittsburgh Steelers punter Brad Wing is the only current active Australian player in the NFL.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 09:42:34 +0000
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