Brisbane Broncos, Queensland Maroons and Australian Kangaroos star enforcer Patrick Carrigan has re-signed with the club until at least the end of the 2028 season.
The deal locks him in at Red Hill for at least the next six seasons, if you count the remainder of 2023.
The long-term extension comes with Carrigan in a position where he was likely to be chased by plenty of clubs, as he was before re-signing with the Broncos in 2023 and 2024.
After suffering an ACL injury in 2021, Carrigan re-signed with the club on a two-year extension through to the end of 2024 in November of 2021. That was almost a month after the Dolphins were allowed to recruit players, and it was reported the Redcliffe-based outfit, among others, were keen on landing his signature.
Despite not being able to sign anywhere else this time around for another eight months, it was reported that the Canberra Raiders and Melbourne Storm were ready to splash substantial cash for the star forward.
That all comes to nothing now though, with a four-year extension being signed off on.
Carrigan said he could never imagine leaving the Broncos.
"I love this club and I could never imagine leaving - we are building something special here together and I wanted to make a long-term commitment to be a part of that," he said in a club statement.
"A lot of us guys have been through the tough times together and now we are starting to show signs of what we can do if we work hard and work for each other.
"I'm here for the long haul and I'm excited about what we can achieve together over the years ahead.”
Winning the player of the series in the State of Origin series during 2022, Carrigan had a phenomenal year which was capped off with selection in the Australian Kangaroos' squad for the Rugby League World Cup.
Rated as a future club captain, the deal will see Carrigan likely (fitness pending) have played more than 200 games for the Broncos by the time his contract comes to an end.
Coach Kevin Walters, who himself has been under the pump, said it was a proud day for the Broncos to lock down Carrigan.
"This is a great day for the Broncos because Pat embodies what we are about as a club and he is at the heart of what we are building here together," Walters said.
"He has grown as a player through our club's Academy system, going on to captain our NYC team before graduating to the NRL squad and building into the player that he is today - and the impressive thing is that all he wants to do is continue to improve.
"We were all incredibly proud of what Pat achieved last year because we all saw how hard he worked to come back from serious injury, it was an inspiration to all of us here at the Broncos.
"He is a key part of everything we do and to have him commit to the Broncos for another four years is really special - I'm really excited for what lies ahead for both Pat and for everyone at our club.”
Carrigan's re-signing follows the loss of Thomas Fleger to the Dolphins, while the club's other big fish in the middle third, Payne Haas, is currently contracted until the end of 2024.
