The former star of the NRL's Parramatta Eels hugged his mother Jodie and sisters Jessi-Lee and Taygan, who had flown from Sydney to visit.
There were tears, but there were no champagne corks or lavish lunches. The Haynes continued the sightseeing and visited a museum.
The religious athlete was raised in state housing in Sydney's southwest and is blessed with a powerful, 188cm tall body and speed.
He has made a big impression during the NFL pre-season. He ranked third in the NFL pre-season and expected to function largely as a punt returner for the 49ers during the regular season.
"This whole journey was never about making a roster," Hayne said on a conference call. "It was about giving myself an opportunity.
"I wanted to take a risk."
He did have doubts, particularly in his first weeks at the 49ers' facility in Santa Clara, south of San Francisco, when he found himself walking into the team's classrooms and being unable to decipher the terminology other running backs and special teams coaches were using.
He tucked sheets of paper into his shorts on the practice field so he could remember plays.
Hayne said they were dark days, but he has emerged as a shining light in Australia and the US.
