Parramatta Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown will field offers for 2026 and beyond as he contemplates his future.
It's a major blow for the blue and gold, with their strategy of contract options yet again backfiring.
Brown will make a call on whether he is remaining with the Eels or not for the first of two player options included in his deal until the end of 2031 by the end of Round 10, but in the meantime, there will be plenty of conjecture following the New Zealand international around.
It's the last thing rookie coach Jason Ryles needs as he looks to turn Brad Arthur's old team into a finals team after they slumped to the wrong end of the table last year.
Described by his agent as a 'franchise player' in an email to all 16 other clubs, there will be plenty at least weighing up their options when it comes to making a play for Brown ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Here is where each rival NRL club is likely to sit in the chase for Brown.
7. Canberra Raiders
The Raiders are another club who could join the race for Brown after the season starts if the New Zealand international doesn't rush into a decision one way or the other.
There is real conjecture around the future of the halves in the nation's capital.
Jamal Fogarty has a mutual option for 2026, but could well find himself on the outer for 2025 as Ethan Sanders joins the club from the Parramatta Eels, where he could yet form a halves combination with either Ethan Strange or Kaeo Weekes.
As unlikely as it seems, if none of those combinations work out over the opening portion of the season and the Raiders get off to a slow start, making a play for Brown could become a tantalising option.
