The contract extensions for Penrith father-son pair Ivan and Nathan Cleary weren't only linked by their timing, with a reported contract clause in the latter's new deal with the Panthers giving him an out should his father be sacked.
Both Ivan and Nathan signed extensions until the end of the 2027 season earlier this month, with the duo earning bumper new deals following their premiership success of 2021.
Nathan, the premium playmaker of the NRL and co-cpatain of the Panthers, is set to earn north of seven figures a season after signing on for $5.5 million.
The extension, which added a further three years onto his previous contract, will allow the Clive Churchill medallist to step into the open market anytime prior to 2027 should his father be sacked.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, rival clubs could be in the frame to secure the superstar halfback's services should the Panthers pull the pin on Ivan's tenure in the next five years, terms the Penrith board reportedly unanimously agreed to.
Nathan would become a free agent should Ivan be given his marching orders, however should the ex-Tigers coach decide to retire or step down then his son would remain tied to the foot of the mountains.
The pair of signatures added to the long list of star names to re-sign with Penrith across the course of a dominant past two seasons, with the likes of Stephen Crichton, James Fisher-Harris, Dylan Edwards, Jarome Luai and Isaah Yeo among those to tie their futures to the Panthers' cause.
Penrith and the Cleary pair are sitting pretty in their title defence at 7-0 to start this season, giving no early sign of shaky ground for their coach.
Their current list strucutre would suggest a prolonged place among the NRL's top end, however a five-year stretch of dominance could be hard to muster.
Both South Sydney (2014) and North Queensland (2015) amassed premiershp success before soon sliding their way south of the league standings, with the Bunnies cutting ties with senior coach Michael Maguire in 2017 after consecutive 12th-placed finishes.
Whether a similar trend arises for Penrith remains to be seen, but should Nathan Cleary become open to other clubs then any intersted suitor wil llikely be required to fork up a reported $1.1 million per season.
The 124-gamer will be 29 years of age by the expiry of his new deal, leaving him likely toward the end of his prime years.
