Penrith Panthers star fullback Dylan Edwards has reportedly given the club's most recent contract offer the cold shoulder.
Reports suggested the Panthers had offered the star fullback, who was named as a reserve in the Kangaroos' squad for last year's Rugby League World Cup and could be on the State of Origin selection radar next year for the New South Wales Blues, a three-year deal worth $850,000 per season.
While it's believed Edwards only wants a longer-term deal to remain at the foot of the mountains, there is little doubt about his standing as one of the game's best fullbacks.
That, in short, means he could easily command up to $1 million per season if he went to the free agency market from November 1 this year instead of re-signing with the Panthers before that deadline when all players off-contract at the end of 2024 can freely negotiate with rival clubs.
In truth, there aren't many clubs that might be out searching for an upgrade in the number one jersey, such is the rich talent pool of fullbacks currently available across the NRL, but the ones who are will be desperate to rip Edwards away from the foot of the mountains.
After running the rule over the squads for 2025 as they they stand, Zero Tackle can reveal the five who need to be lining up in no orderly fashion in an attempt to secure Edwards' signature if he is still uncontracted on November 1.
The Dragons will be rumoured to go after just about every big name coming off-contract at the end of the 2024 season.
While incoming coach Shane Flanagan wants to make the club's rebuild as immediate as possible, it'll be difficult to do much for 2024 given so much of the squad is locked in and so little remains on the free agency market.
Flanagan has already indicated he wants to go after Joseph Manu, who is also off-contract at the end of 2024, but as it stands, the noise from both Manu's management and the Roosters themselves is that he won't be going anywhere.
While the Dragons will likely have a shootout between Zac Lomax and Tyrell Sloan during 2024, a player like Edwards would be an immediate upgrade to the Red V.
The club have undoubtedly struggled in attack in recent years, and while it'll be intriguing to see what Flanagan can get out of whichever player he goes for at the back, Edwards should be a priority target for the Red V if he is still uncontracted on November 1.
The Raiders are another club who have plenty of potential in the number one jersey, but a player like Edwards would shape as an enormous upgrade.
Unfortunately for the Green Machine, Xavier Savage is yet to find his feet in first-grade, despite the enormous potential he possesses, while Sebastian Kris has also shown plenty this year, but is probably better suited in the centres.
The other option in their current squad is Jordan Rapana, who has expressed publicly that he is just about at the point of his career where playing fullback is becoming too much for him. That, and the fact he is an excellent winger, should exclude him from the number one jersey moving forward, if he is still playing in 2025 of course.
Edwards brings with him the ability to get sets off to excellent starts and a defensive ability that would improve the Raiders out of sight. At times this year, they have clearly lacked the communication and cohesive unit type approach that is so often provided by a good fullback.
There are few fullbacks in the game better at that side than Edwards, and while his attack works with the Penrith system at the moment, there is no reason he couldn't go to another level in the nation's capital.
The Canterbury Bulldogs may be a somewhat controversial addition to this list given they have signed Stephen Crichton on fullback money to take over the number one jumper from the start of the 2024 season.
But like many others, I'm not sold on him as a fullback and think that, long-term, his best position is going to be in the centres.
He has made a name for himself there within the Penrith system, but whether he can transfer those skills to the number one jumper at a struggling club remains to be seen.
That said, Edwards linking up with the Bulldogs would be a huge boost at both ends of the park for a side who have undergone rapid, but ultimately unsuccessful, transformation in the last couple of years.
Whether the Bulldogs have the money to pull off a move like that one is debatable at best, but they seem to have plenty of cap space given the calibre of player they have chased in recent times, and Tevita Pangai Junior's retirement will certainly free up plenty of cash moving forward.
The Eels were rumoured to be looking at an X-Factor type player earlier this year, with Jayden Campbell the name who was reportedly on the hit list.
But there is no reason that Clint Gutherson can't become the X-Factor with Dylan Edwards taking over at fullback.
The Eels and Panthers rivalry runs deep, so this would be an enormous score for the Eels, but beyond that, Gutherson in the centres is a prospect the Eels have reportedly already looked seriously at.
A player like Edwards would make it justifiable.
Given fullback has now become the game's most important position, it would also set the Eels up depth wise. If Edwards or Gutherson were to suffer a season-ending injury for example, the other plays fullback and there are no real problems moving forward.
Whether the Eels would want to have that much money tied up in two fullbacks with one playing out of position is anyone's guess, but we have seen how dangerous Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic have been in the centres for the NSW Blues at State of Origin level. There is no reason Gutherson couldn't play a similar week-to-week role for the Eels if Edwards signed.
The final club is the Roosters.
As it stands, the tri-colours could risk losing both Joseph Manu and James Tedesco at the end of 2024. Manu is off-contract, and while Tedesco has signed until the end of 2025, his form this year suggests retirement may be closer than that.
If it happens that way, Manu could slot in at fullback, but signing Edwards in November could be the insurance policy the Roosters need if Manu hadn't re-signed by then.
And even if the New Zealand international does re-sign, there is no reason he can't stay in the centres, where he is one of the best in the, or shuffle into the halves on a permanent basis.
A Roosters team with Manu and Edwards would be stronger than one without either of them, so the tri-colours making a move for Edwards could ultimately make sense on multiple fronts.