Jarryd Hayne is the latest in a long line of people who have headed to California to chase a dream.

He had been tipped to sign with the Detroit Lions (“it wasn’t to be”), while the Seattle Seahawks (“nothing could be sorted there”) also expressed an interest in the Dally M medallist.

As far as promised lands go, Detroit has seen better days and, unless you’re in tech, Seattle isn’t much chop either.

• Good hustle: Hayne joins San Francisco 49ers 
• Jarryd Hayne sets new benchmark for courage

And so it is San Francisco that is Hayne’s land of (Harvey) milk and honey.

Incumbent 49ers running back Frank Gore. Photo: Getty

On Tuesday he revealed that he had signed a rookie contract with five-time Super Bowl champions the San Francisco 49ers.

The announcement had a distinctly 21st-century feel to it.

The press conference had a sponsor, and took place in the “magnificent Telstra Amphitheatre”.

It’s all part of Telstra’s plan to join with Hayne over the next 12 months to “create exciting content you won’t find anywhere else”.

Still, perhaps we should cut Hayne some slack – he revealed on Tuesday his contract was a guarantee of US$100,000 ($128,000) for the 15-20 week stint he’d be in San Francisco.

Hayne is open about his religious beliefs, and his short time in America already has him peppering his speech with ‘God’ as if he’d won an Oscar.

“I believe in a God that can make the impossible possible,” he said.

“It’s one thing having talent, but when you’ve got belief behind that talent you can achieve anything.

“A lot of boys are interested, but they don’t have the confidence and faith that I have.”

Later on Tuesday he posted about his love for the “big man” on Instagram.

“I’m the worst christian I know but still gods favour reins [sic] over my life,” Hayne wrote.

“Why, I’m not sure but I love ya big man.

“Without you I can achieve much. With YOU I can achieve anything.

“Incredible [sic] proud to join the 49ers franchise.”

He heads to a San Francisco outfit seemingly on the slide.

After losing to Baltimore in the 2012-13 Super Bowl, then Seattle in the NFC Championship game in 2013-14, they failed to make the play-offs last season with an 8-8 record, leading to head coach Jim Harbaugh’s departure.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick earns the big bucks in San Francisco. Photo: Getty

A 1980s powerhouse, the 49ers last won the Super Bowl in 1994.

Their new head coach Jim Tomsula, who signed a four-year deal in January, has never coached at NFL level before, and spent the bulk of his career in Europe.

Hayne said he wasn’t keen on the switch initially.

“I guess, just the way that God operates and God works, I said I’d go,” Hayne said.

“They were about to lose their head coach (Harbaugh) from all media reports and the plan was to go to a stable environment.

“There were a lot of question marks, but I said I’d go. I ended up meeting Jim Tomsula, the current head coach, and we spent about an hour together.

“He was the one coach who knew the transition (from rugby to American football) better than anyone and knew what it was going to take for me to make the transition.”

Scott McKenzie once sang that if you’re going to San Francisco, you’re gonna meet some gentle people there.

Unfortunately for Jarryd Hayne, the summer of love is long gone and, in trying to prove himself as a running back in one of the world’s toughest sporting competitions, gentle will be in short supply.

He’ll be in a training squad of 90, and every one of them will tear themselves, and everyone else around them, for that inch.

“This is a small step in the right direction but it’s just the beginning,” Hayne said.

“The hard stuff starts now.”

Hayne has 20 weeks to prove the doubters wrong.