Adam O'Brien will remain the head coach of the Newcastle Knights until at least the end of the 2027 NRL season after signing a three-year contract extension with the club.

O'Brien, who has been with the Knights since 2020, has had a bumpy road in the Hunter over his three seasons in charge.

After finding instant success in a pair of finals series during his first two seasons in charge, 2022 saw the Knights fade out of the top eight, and at the halfway point of 2023, the club looked all but a certainty to finish in the bottom four.

There was plenty of speculation at that stage that O'Brien was hanging by a thread to his job in the Hunter, but the second half of the season - a dramatic turnaround that saw the Knights wind up making the finals, hosting a Week 1 match and then losing in Week 2 away from home - saw O'Brien become safe in his role.

So safe that after extended negotiations over the off-season where it has been rumoured now for some months that he ultimately would put pen to paper on a new deal, the Knights confirmed on Wednesday evening that he has re-signed for another three years.

The 46-year-old, who has coached 96 games for the Knights since his arrival at the club, was previously an assistant coach at both the Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters where he was able to hone his craft under both Craig Bellamy and Trent Robinson.

O'Brien's Newcastle side will kick-off their new season against last year's elimination final opponents the Canberra Raiders at home on Thursday, March 7.