Jarryd Hayne
Jarryd Hayne feels excited about the hiring of Chip Kelly as the San Francisco 49ers’ new head coach. Reuters/Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Despite uncertainty on his NFL future with the hiring of Chip Kelly, Jarryd Hayne is still “excited” to work with the San Francisco 49ers’ new head coach.

Hayne posted on Twitter what he felt about the 49ers’ hiring of Kelly as the team’s new coach for the 2016-2017 season. Hayne said he was “happy and excited” in Kelly’s arrival to the Bay Area, although it could mean the Australian rugby league star must start from scratch to earn a spot in the 49ers’ active roster.

However, Hayne is not the only one who is excited about Kelly’s new job in San Francisco. Roger Craig, three-time Super Bowl winner with the 49ers, is also thrilled about the 49ers’ new coach, citing Kelly’s exciting offence, which involves plenty of snaps for running backs like Hayne.

“He turned things around at Oregon and he’s going to turn the 49ers around in a heartbeat,” Craig told the San Jose Mercury News. “I’m just happy they got the right guy.”

Kelly was fired from his head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles following another dismal season for the franchise. The 52-year-old scored his first NFL head coaching stint with the Eagles in 2013, when Philadelphia won the NFC East and reached the first round of the playoffs.

Kelly said he is looking forward to maximising the abilities of each player, which could be good news for Hayne. The former Eel only played eight games in his rookie season on limited occasions and spent two months in the 49ers’ practice squad after committing three errors in his first six games.

“As one of the most historic franchises in the National Football League, I realise the high standards and expectations that this position demands and I embrace the challenges ahead,” Kelly said, reports Fox Sports. “My immediate focus is to build the best coaching staff possible, one that will maximise the abilities of each of our players and put us in the best position to win football games.”

RELATED STORIES