It's not quite Michael Jordan getting bored with basketball - the sport that made him a household name - and quitting in the prime of his career to try his hand at baseball - but, for Australian rugby fans, it's pretty darn close.
It is being reported that Australian Rules rugby player, Parramatta Eels star Jarryd Hayne, is looking to make the transition into the NFL.
The NFL has seen a number of players enter the league via abnormal means in recent years - Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham were college basketball players who turned into tight ends, and punter Sav Rocca was an Australian Rules rugby player.
But Haynes' transition, though similar to Rocca's, would be a first.
"For the past 24 months I've been thinking about having a crack in the NFL, and over the last 12 months I've been seriously considering it," Hayne said at a press conference to announce his decision. "Today I can officially announce that I will be heading to the United States to pursue an opportunity to play American football. I will be withdrawing from the Kangaroos Four Nations side immediately, and accepting a conditional release from the Eels to make the move overseas."
What makes Haynes' case especially intriguing is that, at just 26 years old, he is leaving his main sport in the prime of his career to pursue the dream of playing another sport in another country - a sport he's never before attempted on any level. He also isn't looking to make the transition to punter - the position that many Australian players, like Rocca, Matt McBriar and current Pittsburgh Steeler Brad Wing gravitated towards.
Instead, Hayne reportedly sees himself as a punt and kick returner.
"I believe I have the speed, I'm a quick learner, I feel things out really quickly," Hayne said. "I have no doubt it's going to be tough. Ultimately it's a 12-month plan, going over there and trying to make a train-on team. For me to do that I need to start preparing for that around January or February."
Hayne is 6'2" and 220 pounds. At that height and weight, he could play anything from running back to tight end to wide receiver.
Hayne's manager, Wayne Beavis, said that he has been inundated with interest from NFL teams and United States-based agents looking to sign the neophyte football player.
"There is literally hundreds of emails I am trying to answer," Beavis said. "There are agents, there are clubs, there are production companies, you name it they are all here. It is massive, it has exceeded our wildest expectations. I have got emails from clubs that are showing more than keen interest, I have had about 20 agents contact me overnight so there is not any shortage of people wanting to look after Jarryd."
Among the teams reportedly interested in the young player, the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots seem to be the names bandied about the most.
While on a team-sponsored study trip to the U.S. last month, Hayne visited the University of Washington and the Seattle Seahawks' facility.
Hayne did not meet Seahawks' head coach Pete Carroll, but Carroll answered a number of questions in a post-practice press conference recently about the prospect of signing the rugby star.
"Our scout Down Under has been on this for some time now," Carroll joked. "But he's an incredible athlete and a great competitor, so we'll see where it goes. I'm afraid to mention anything because I'm not sure of the rights things and contract issues down there. We'll leave that up to [Seahawks general manager] John [Schneider] to figure out."
Seahawks' communications director Dave Pearson later told the media: "He doesn't even know who the guy is."
But Carroll said "we're looking for great athletes to make the transition," and described the idea of recruiting from the NRL as "an exciting thought."
"I've always thought it would be exciting to recruit down there and all that because there's some great players," he said.
In July, Hayne also had a chance to speak to Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush, who was visiting Australia at the time, about what it was like to play in the NFL.
"I actually spoke to Reggie Bush in depth about it when he was over here," he told Fairfax in July. "We were talking about different plays, what Detroit was like, what Miami was like and New Orleans was like. It interests me."
Hayne is expected to fly to Los Angeles next week to begin training for the NFL Combine in February.
He then hopes to either enter the NFL draft in July or sign with a club as a free agent.
Hayne reportedly signed a "lifetime agreement" with his rugby squad, the Eels, meaning that if the NFL doesn't end up being as welcoming as he hopes, they're the only team he can return to play for.
