Despite the prolonged period of back and forth between the Dragons and Jack Bird before the pair agreed to terms on a three-year extension within the past fortnight, there remains a view that the Origin calibre utility may still play his football elsewhere in 2023.
Though the 27-year-old has reportedly agreed in principle to the extension that would see him earn within the vicinity of $1.1 million across his next pair of campaigns, Bird is still yet to sign the hard-fought contract.
Given this, News Corp has stated that other clubs are aware of this stand-off and are now priming to poach the Wollongong-born product should he decide to backflip on his word.
After recently conducting a litany of conversations with Bird and his management about the prospect of drawing his to Concord at the cessation of the season, the Wests Tigers are seen as the clubhouse leader to poach Bird if his feet fail to warm with the Red V.
Though ink is yet to meet parchment, the official word coming out of Kogarah is that members of the Dragons' brass are unconcerned with the status quo.
Still, with the negotiations undertaken to keep Bird at the club having been drawn out to the point of the joint-venture imposing a deadline, the possibility of the five-time Blues representative joining his fourth club remains live.
Bird has made 33 appearances for the Dragons since joining the club ahead of the 2021 season following 12-months on the sidelines after exiting the Broncos.