Brisbane Broncos prop Payne Haas has confirmed through his management that he will test the free agency market from November 1.
The news will come as a sledgehammer blow to the Broncos, who had hoped to tie Haas down to a new deal before he had the ability to sign with a rival club ahead of his $850,000 per season deal expiring at the end of 2024.
The star forward, who missed Origin 3 with an injury last night, and will miss this Saturday's game at Belmore against the Canterbury Bulldogs, has put the best season of his career to date together this campaign, and the Broncos are sitting close to the top of the table as a result.
Haas requested a release last season in what was a bombshell development at the time, and while the Broncos firstly knocked him back flat before convincing him to stay, it hasn't been the same case for the club in getting Haas to sign a contract extension.
It has been widely reported that Haas could have as much as half of the NRL go after him when his deal expires, while rugby union, both in Australia and abroad, are believed to have already made a play for the star 23-year-old prop.
News Corp is now reporting that his manager Ahmad Merhi has confirmed Haas will test his value on the open market.
โWe're pretty clear that we are going to wait until November 1,โ Merhi said.
โWe're four months away from November 1 and it would ...be a smart decision to wait until November 1 seeing Payne is the player he is and there is a possibility he may get the Dally M award this year."
While clubs like the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers will undoubtedly come in hot for Haas, the Broncos have recently lost both Thomas Flegler and Herbie Farnworth to the Dolphins without signing a big name in their absence, so they should have some extra money to throw at the prop.
Haas will likely command over $1 million per season on his next deal, but the forward's preference is to stay in Brisbane.
โWe have discussed it and we are going to wait until November 1," Merhi added.
"His (preference) is to stay in Brisbane. He also understands that there are other opportunities so he wants to look at those opportunities when they present themselves and then go from there โ weigh up the pros and cons and go from there.โ
Haas' previous contract issues with the Broncos over his current deal are unlikely to play into any new negotiations with the Broncos, however, Brisbane have been a club who fiercly battle to not overpay players historically, so breaking the bank for Haas could well make him the club's most expensive player in history.
