Penrith Panthers and New South Wales Blues star halfback Nathan Cleary has admitted he is weighing up hitting free agency for the first time in his career.

Currently off-contract at the end of 2027, Cleary would be free to negotiate with rival clubs from November 1.

He has never done that before, and has always been committed to the Panthers well ahead of his contracts ending.

So dedicated has he been to Penrith that he left hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table last time, and even asked haflway through his last contract whether he could reduce his wage in a bid to keep the club's premiership-winning outfit together.

Talking to the media on Thursday, he admitted it's a new process, but that he was open to not closing off any avenues.

"It's a process that's pretty foreign to me, I've never done it," Cleary told the media per AAP.

"That's a discussion to be had in the coming weeks or months or whatever. I don't know.

"(I've said) I wasn't going to close off any avenues, like I was quite open to everything ... I just didn't want to really lock myself in too early.

"But I've always said as well that a week is such a long time in rugby league let alone a few months, so you just don't know what's going to happen."

While rival clubs will likely make a play for one of the game's best halfbacks, and Cleary could stand to earn well into the seven figures like Dylan Brown at the Newcastle Knights who is now the game's highest-paid player, the halfback could also be weighing up leaving the NRL altogether.

His partner, women's soccer player Mary Fowler, lives in England, and Cleary would well entertain the idea of a switch to the Super League or rugby union.

A switch to rugby union is something he has previously admitted he would entertain, with his last comments coming in February on Josh Mansour's Unscripted podcast.

"I don't know. I'm open to it, I'm open to different possibilities whereas maybe in the past I've been locked into things," he said in February.

"I'm quite open, that thing about having no regrets drives me, at the moment it's driving me to do my best for the Panthers and build that dynasty even more."

Either way, the comments will terrify Penrith who want both Nathan and Ivan Cleary to stay with the club as long as possible.

That is no secret. They have pushed those comments into the public sphere at every opportunity in recent times.

Negotiations were reported to have kicked off earlier this year too with both coach and player, but as yet have not born any fruit.