San Francisco 49ers Rumors: Jarryd Hayne not ready for Opener?

The San Francisco 49ers have not announced whether or not Jarryd Hayne will be playing in the opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Sept. 14 at 10:20 p.m. ET.

This is the Australian's first year in the NFL and there has been a lot of hype surrounding him, particularly as a punt return specialist. In the preseason, Haynes, 27, ran 25 times for 175 yards. He made three passes for 35 yards and averaged 18.1 yards per punt return. Despite his decent numbers, special teams coach Thomas McGaughey has not revealed whether or not Haynes will be making his debut in Week 1.

"We've got to kind of keep everything in perspective and understand the preseason is the preseason and right now is right now," McGaughey said reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. "So we've just kind of got to temper it all and take it all with a grain of salt and move forward. And, as the weeks go on and things start to progress, then we'll address it."

McGaughey reminded fans, when asked if he realized that "Australians will declare war" if Haynes is not playing that wide receiver DeAndrew White has the best average on punt returns (22.8 yards).

"Everybody is flying the Hayne Plane right now, but if you look at who led our team in punt returns in the preseason, it wasn't Jarryd Hayne," McGaughey said. "It was DeAndrew White."

Other punt returners include receiver Ellington, who was the main returner last season, and veteran running back Reggie Bush, who has the most experience out of the four.

Prior to joining the 49ers, Haynes had a very successful career as a professional rugby player in his home country.