San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills welcomed fellow Australian Jarryd Hayne to the Under Armour family after the San Francisco 49ers rookie signed his first major sponsorship deal in the U.S., before his NFL regular season debut. Hayne, who made the 49ers’ 53 man-roster last week, will join the likes of Mills, American golfer Jordan Spieth, New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady, Andy Murray and NBA champ Steph Curry as the group’s ambassadors.

Hayne has agreed to a deal with apparel giant Under Armour as the Australian rugby league star prepares for his journey in his first NFL season. Boomers guard Mills congratulated his compatriot on Twitter after Hayne joined Under Armour as his first lucrative sponsor.

Hayne officially announced his sponsorship with the Baltimore-based company on Monday, revealing that the deal has been in negotiations over the course of a couple of months. "It's a company that's all about the underdogs and it's something that I love,” Hayne said, as quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald. “The presentation was great that I have seen many months ago and there's some great guys on board, Patty Mills and Steph Curry and guys like that that I definitely look up to and have taken America by storm."

Under Armour managing director Will Phillips said Hayne symbolises hard work, will and determination, which are everything the company stands for. “He is writing his own story and we are excited to watch it unfold. Under Armour is proud to support him on this journey,” Phillips told Fox Sports.

Hayne said that the partnership with Under Armour was a natural fit for him, since he has been using the company’s gears throughout his NFL training. The 27-year-old Hayne also looks forward to representing Under Armour for the rest of his NFL journey.

Hayne has become a fan favourite at San Francisco after his remarkable pre-season showing with the club. The former Eel fullback’s success on the field sold an unprecedented number of jerseys for an undrafted rookie, but the 49ers general manager Trent Baalke told FairFax Media that Hayne was not brought to San Francisco as a publicity stunt.

However, Baalke admitted that there is a “cross-over” benefit for having Hayne in the 49ers. He said that San Francisco saw something in Hayne that could help the club win football games as well as expose the franchise and the entire NFL.

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