The San Francisco 49ers are getting into more roster trouble this NFL offseason. In addition to the quarterback drama of Colin Kaepernick, who is said to be eager to join Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch in the Denver Broncos, the Carlos Hyde squad just recently lost another promising team member: Jarryd Hayne. Reports now confirmed that the Hayne Plane is off the San Francisco 49ers fields and back into the world of professional rugby.
Hayne decided to quit the NFL to achieve his dream of winning a gold medal in the Olympics. After only two years with the football league and only one season with the likes of Peyton Manning, DeMarco Murray, Tom Brady and Carlos Hyde, the Australian star decided to quit. This move could bring him to play with the Fijian Sevens side. At the moment, he has yet to be cleared for the Rio Olympics.
"The Fiji Rugby Sevens team reached out to me about the opportunity to join the team for the upcoming Olympics, and I simply could not pass that chance up," shared Hayne in his statement after his move to quit the NFL.
Despite the gravity of the situation, some NFL fans believe that the move of Hayne to quit the NFL was just a "saving face" tactic for the former San Francisco 49ers. Given his former fumbles with the football team and the criticisms over his lack of coordination with the rest of the Colin Kaepernick squad, some fans feel that the Hayne Plane simply wanted to go back to the familiar. Needless to say, the NRL is a comfortable field for Hayne.
Amid these rumors, the San Francisco 49ers appear to have been negatively affected by the departure of Hayne. In fact, Chip Kelly, who is a known critic during his days with the Philadelphia Eagles, praised the Hayne Plane and his performance on the gridiron.
"He's a really sharp learner," shared Kelly of Hayne. He added, "We were excited. He's a big body and has a skill set."
However, the exit of Hayne from the San Francisco 49ers may not be as final as some fans think. There remains a possibility that the Hayne Plane will return to the NFL and play once again alongside Carlos Hyde. At this point, though, Kelly remains in the dark of the next steps to be taken regarding Hayne.
"We didn't even talk about that," admitted Kelly. He added, "He met with (49ers general manager) Trent (Baalke) first and came down and explained what he wanted to do - that he was going to play for Fiji in the Rugby Sevens. I was surprised. I had no idea."
