With the North Queensland Cowboys locking up Jaxon Purdue until the end of the decade, many have speculated that Drinkwater's time as the club's first-choice fullback is closing.
Along with the Cowboys allowing him to speak with rival teams, premiership-winning halfback Chad Townsend has thrown in a surprise landing spot for the 28-year-old.
When appearing on SEN's Saturday League Kick-Off, Townsend suggested Drinkwater would be an ideal fit in the Cronulla Sharks system.
With constant noise surrounding Will Kennedy's future, who is off-contract at year's end, it could be a legitimate option for the Shire-based club to sign Drinkwater.
“I think he could fit in the Sharks, to be honest,” Townsend said on SEN's Saturday League Kick-Off.
“Obviously, rumours is circling arethe Dragons (and) that they're going after him pretty hard.
“Regardless of whoever gets him, you're going to get a guy who's just played his 150th game.
“He's a mature footballer now, playing probably some of the best football of his career.
“I think he'd be a great fit at the Sharkies.”
Former Brisbane Broncos winger, Denan Kemp, leaned towards another region of Sydney and highlighted the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs as an option for Drinkwater's talents, strengthening their young spine to mould them into premiership heavyweights.
With Drinkwater's elite ability to conjure up points, something the Bulldogs have lacked in recent times, he would be a genuine game-breaker for the blue and white.
“It depends (on) what happens with the Dogs and how much salary cap they've got,” Kemp added.
“If you went outside of Reece Walsh, what fullback can essentially guarantee me six to 12 points a game? It's Scott Drinkwater.
“He's one of the few fullbacks who has that consistently over a four- or five-year period.
“You look at the Dally Ms over the last five years; he's always in the top 10.
“So, if you're the Dogs, you're sitting there going, ‘OK, what's our Achilles heel?'
“Our defence is good; we can keep teams usually below that 14 (point) mark.
“If we add 12 points onto that (in attack), all of a sudden, we're a premiership threat.”
From all reports, it seems the St George Illawarra Dragons are the frontrunners to land Drinkwater, who has been identified at the Red V as a successor to Clint Gutherson's fullback jersey.
Gutherson himself has advocated for Drinkwater to move to Wollongong to strengthen the side, saying "100 per cent. He's a high-quality player, and you need those types of players," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Central Coast-raised star has been in red-hot form for the Cowboys and is making a serious case for himself towards a new contract, as he is putting in elite performances over the Cowboys' recent outings.
Although they come up against a resurgent Manly Sea Eagles outfit this Thursday, who are undefeated since the sacking of Anthony Seibold and the appointment of club legend Kieran Foran as interim coach.
If they can make it five wins in a row this weekend, it will be their biggest winning streak since 2023, when they went on a six-game run, dismantling the Wests Tigers in a 74-0 thrashing during that time.
