Surprise news broke this week that South Sydney Rabbitohs halfback Jamie Humphreys may be on the move at the end of the 2026 NRL season.

As the story goes, Humphreys was in negotiations with South Sydney and close to agreeing to a new deal, but that all changed when Payne Haas agreed to join the club for 2027 and beyond.

South Sydney would have been preparing a fairly substantial monetary outlay for Keaon Koloamatangi of course, but to land Haas would have seen more of their already fragile salary cap used.

Latrell Mitchell and Cameron Murray lead the rest of the big deals around the club, and while Cody Walker could retire at the end of the year freeing up some extra dollars, the story around Humphreys is not exactly a monstrous surprise.

Someone was always going to be squeezed out by the arrival of Haas, althoug it being your halfback is probably less than ideal for South Sydney.

He may still find a way to get a deal over the line, but that looks increasingly unlikely, and there is a good chance he will be elsewhere come kick-off in 2027.

Here are the clubs who will be doing more than just keeping minor tabs on the situation, keeping in mind that he can play halfback and hooker.

5. Melbourne Storm

This is a mix of a dummy half depth and future halfback play for the Storm.

The club haven't really replaced Bronson Garlick during the off-season, and at the moment, an injury to Harry Grant would have serious ramifications for the men in purple.

Humphreys would be the sort of player they potentially want to chase, but maybe the biggest question is whether the South Sydney utility would entertain such a move, given it would likely be a demotion from his current role under Wayne Bennett.

The chance to learn under Craig Bellamy in a side who have already changed, and have more on the way, would be tempting, while he could also be promised the future number seven jumper once Jahrome Hughes retires.

Playing seven for one of the game's best clubs? It's simply not all that easy to say no to something like that.

Maybe this is unlikely, but it's a move Humphreys could entertain on multiple fronts if the men in purple do come knocking.

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