Brisbane Broncos star Payne Haas will not entertain the idea of joining rebel rugby union competition R360 unless offers are north of $3 million ($2 million USD) per year.
Haas is one of the players on the hit list for the competition which has identified more than ten NRL players including Ryan Papenhuyzen, Zac Lomax and Jye Gray as potential first-year contract candidates.
The competition, which is due to launch at the end of 2026, was set to sit down with Haas and his management this week to flesh out what a deal could look like.
It had been widely reported he was set to be offered around $2 million per year to turn his back on the NRL and Brisbane Broncos, where he is off-contract at the same time as the launch of the competition.
But now, per a Sydney Morning Herald report, Haas has told his management that the offers will need to be north of $3 million for him to consider the switch.
It's understood R360 organisers didn't have a problem with the asking price, but that the meetings have been postponed anyway as Haas's management look to ensure they are not in breach of NRL rules by chatting with the rebel organisation.
NRL players aren't formally allowed to negotiate with rival NRL clubs until November 1 in the year prior to their contract ending, but that shouldn't stop rival codes from chatting to players.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys has nonetheless taken multiple pot shots at the competition, predicting it will go broke in a matter of weeks and calling it a 'competition out of a cornflake box' in another tirade.
NRL players could well be barred from returning to rugby league if they sign on with the competition, although the NRL are yet to announce any measures.
Haas, for his part, has confirmed he wants to remain in Brisbane on multiple occasions, with the Broncos set to offer him seven figures once again in a new deal beyond the end of 2026, but that may not be enough given the enormous - and potentially tax-free if he relocates - money on the table from rugby union.
