The Newcastle Knights are reportedly willing to contribute to Jackson Hastings' salary if he can find a new club for the 2025 NRL season.
The halfback has battled through his second season as a Knight, with the 28-year-old switching to the club from the Wests Tigers at the end of 2022 after just a single season at Concord.
Hastings was part of Newcastle's side who made the finals last year, but spent a large chunk of their run from the wrong end of the table into the top eight injured.
Hastings has been dropped twice this year from the Knights' side and only managed 17 first-grade games in what has been a revolving door in Newcastle's halves, but the halfback has done nothing to dispell the theory that he had very little to do with Newcastle's run during the second half of 2023.
Finishing the season in reserve grade, News Corp are now reporting the Knights want Hastings off their books for 2025, and would be happy to pay a portion of his salary - which stands at $800,000 per year - through next season.
It's understood the Knights are well aware no other NRL clubs would be willing to pick up his enormous salary in its entirety for next season.
It's unclear at this stage if any other teams have expressed interest in Hastings, who has spent time previously at the Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles, before heading to the English Super League where he become a quality player for the Salford Red Devils and Wigan Warriors.
The Knights' salary cap has become a major concern for the club, with all of Daniel Saifiti, Jayden Brailey, Tyson Frizell, Dane Gagai, Jack Hetherington and Adam Elliott linked with early exits in recent times.
