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.
5. Newcastle Knights
The Knights' halves were like a revolving door in 2024. Jackson Hastings, Tyson Gamble, Jack Cogger, Phoenix Crossland, Will Pryce. Reports suggest Fletcher Sharpe, who impressed at fullback and on the wing in his debut year, will also now add his name to the list of options.
One of those players could stamp their authority on the number six jersey this year, but with contracts expiring for Hastings and Pryce, and Crossland potentially slotting back into a utility role, it seems a long shot to suggest that's going to be the way it goes.
Money has been an issue at the Knights, but is unlikely to be for 2026. Daniel Saifiti's early departure to the Dolphins, combined with the likely departures at the end of the coming year for the likes of Jayden Brailey, Adam Elliott, Jackson Hastings and Jack Hetherington, will free up substantial coin in the Hunter.
And that could see them make a play for Dylan Brown as they look to rebuild and reshape a spine that has struggled to put up points in recent seasons.
