Another Newcastle Knights player has reportedly been linked with a potential early exit from the club as they undergo a roster rebuild and attempt to free up space in their salary cap.
A key player of the club's forward pack at lock, Adam Elliott has been one of the club's better players since moving to the Knights at the beginning of 2023 but his tenure at the club could soon come to a premature end.
Since arriving in the NRL, Elliott has managed 164 first-grade appearances with 39 of those coming for the Knights after stints with the Canterbury Bulldogs and Canberra Raiders.
Contracted until the end of the 2025 season on a reported salary of $500,000 per season, Elliott has become the latest player that has been linked with an exit and is free to test the open market.
"A stack of players have been tapped on the shoulder and they include the likes of Daniel Saifiti, Jayden Brailey, Adam Elliott and Jack Hetherington," The Herald'sย Adrian Proszenko said onย SEN 1170 Crunch Time.
"Daniel Saifiti's been on the market for six weeks or something, and no one's picked him up as yet, and at the same time, there are other props that are available as well."
This makes Elliott the eighth Newcastle Knights player linked with an exit from the club, following Dane Gagai, Daniel Saifiti, Jack Hetherington, Jackson Hastings, Jayden Brailey, Leo Thompson and Tyson Frizell.
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NSW Blues front-rower Daniel Saifiti was the first player who was given permission to leave and negotiate with rival teams before soon being followed by duo Jack Hetherington and Jayden Brailey.
Brailey and Saifiti have been linked with rival clubs Parramatta Eels and The Dolphins recently, but Hetherington has yet to find any suitors.
Rumours would later emerge surrounding the future of halfback Jackson Hastings, linking him to a move to the Super League after he was axed to the NSW Cup, but this has since been disputed.
International representatives Dane Gagai, Leo Thompson and Tyson Frizell would soon find their names in the headlines but their names have yet to surface over the past few weeks.
Thompson seems the most likely to depart and is reportedly weighing up the decision to test the open market from November 1 or remain under Adam O'Brien at Newcastle.
It's well known the Knights are desperate to retain Thompson, who is rated as one of the best young forward prospects in the game. However, it's also understood he is alarmed at the Knights' purge of senior players.
That has left Thompson pondering his future and where he will develop best under the guidance of senior players, with the belief that may not be in Newcastle.
