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.
6. Manly Sea Eagles
Manly have two questions that will need answering before they consider where they are spending any potential money for 2026.
The first of those regards the future of Daly Cherry-Evans. If he elects to retire at the end of 2025, over a million dollars per season becomes available.
If he doesn't, you can drop Manly to the bottom of this list.
Should he retire, the other question will then be around Luke Brooks. Five-eighth, or does he get another shot at halfback?
If he was to move into the number seven (and yes, Joey Walsh is touted as the future of Manly's number seven jersey), then using Cherry-Evans' money to make a play for an experienced five-eighth to play alongside Brooks such as Brown could well be the way to go for the recruitment staff on the Northern Beaches.
The issue of course is that it doesn't seem as if a decision for Cherry-Evans is coming anytime soon, and that will create headaches when it comes to making decisions on their 2026 roster.
