The Newcastle Knights have launched a desperate last minute bid to have Bradman Best lock up his future before November 1, but it still may not be enough.
Best has been floating the idea of testing the open market in recent weeks, and it appeared that was all but locked in after the Knights were understood to have lowballed him with a contract offer around $700,000 per year.
Interest in Best will be high, with the NSW Origin and Australian Kangaroos representative who was pivotal to the Knights making the 2026 grand final putting together a blockbuster campaign and finals series, and the list of centres off-contract being skinny.
It has already emerged the Parramatta Eels will make him their number one priority on November 1, while other clubs are also expected to show interest in the barnstorming centre.
It's understood the Eels' offer could well make Best the highest-paid centre in the game, although the Sydney Roosters could yet blow that out of the water when they launch a big offer for Herbie Farnworth.
Jack Bostock is the other elite centre off-contract at the end of 2027, with multiple clubs believed to be ready to make him an offer as well, one of which at one point was believed to be Newcastle.
The Knights are desperate to retain Best though, and News Corp are reporting he has been offered a new deal worth around $4 million over the next four years.
That is shaped as around $820,000 to start with, before ratchet clauses kick in over the four years, although the length of it is also flexible.
That likely fits in with what Best would earn on the open market, but it's understood the new deal still won't be enough, with the centre to test his value.
Testing the open market is not a foreign concept for Best, who did the same last time his contract was up for grabs, only to then re-sign with the Knights.
On that front, there is still hope for the Hunter faithful that one of the club's favourite players will re-sign, but Best is now almost certain to be unsigned on November 1 given he is currently in Kangaroos camp.
Best's value could continue increasing during his games for the Kangaroos, as it has done regularly throughout the year owing to his consistent performances for the Knights.
Newcastle have a tight salary cap and little wiggle room given their seven-figure deals already outlaid for both Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown, as well as a host of other recent extensions.
