November 1 is almost here, meaning every player off-contract at the end of next season can officially negotiate their futures and sign with rival clubs.
There are still a grand total of 178 players without a deal taking them beyond the end of 2023, making this likely one of the busiest off-season player movement periods in recent times.
RELATED: Every player off-contract at the end of 2023
On top of the 178 players, there are a handful of players with player options for 2024, meaning they are in the same position of being able to negotiate.
The number at this time last year was only a tick over 150, meaning almost 30 extra players still haven't signed on.
While some players will likely have to wait almost 12 months to learn their fate either with their current club or another one, many players could begin to be signed elsewhere during the month of November.
Including those with player options available to them, here are the top ten players who can negotiate from November 1.
The Penrith winger is one of the most important players in his double premiership-winning team.
While other players will take some of the credit that should go the way of To'o, the fact that he regularly runs for big metres, takes pressure off his forwards from getting back onside, and knows how to finish, is more than enough for him to have a spot on this list.
Some speculation suggested To'o is considering a move from Penrith, which could be a huge moment for the club.
Jackson Hastings returned to the NRL during the off-season, and made an immediate impact on a club who would ultimately take the wooden spoon for the season.
That was hardly a knock on Hastings though.
Whether playing at five-eighth, halfback or lock, he did his job and then some on a weekly basis, to the point where he was their best player by a considerable distance.
It's unclear what his best position is moving forward, but the utility value and changed attitude from his last stint in the NRL makes him a player plenty of clubs would like to have a look at.
Sam Walker took a little while to become consistent, but the second half of his 2022 season has elevated him to a place where he belongs on a list like this.
Walker was phenomenal for much of the second half of the year. His kicking game led the way, but his heads up creativity and combination with Luke Keary (once it had time to build) tore plenty of teams' defensive lines in half.
He might still have work to do on defence given his size and tackling ability, but that's not what he is in the team for.
The Roosters are reportedly set to keep him on a mega deal, but not being signed by November 1 does raise questions.
David Fifita may not have had the greatest season on the Gold Coast in 2022, but that hardly means he isn't still a valuable player on the transfer market.
The Gold Coast second rower still has plenty of excellent qualities, and whether it's simply that he needs a fresh start or not is up for debate.
Analysis ran during the season suggests he simply wasn't touching the ball enough to be effective, and even without numbers, that's the way it often felt watching him play.
There is plenty of speculation suggesting 2023 will be his final year at the Titans, and from a personal development point of view, it's hard to see those claims not being accurate, despite what will likely be an enormous asking value.
Joseph Suaalii may be one of the closest contract stories to watch - not just this year, but next year, and the year after that, and well, you get the picture.
He has a player option in his favour for the next two years, and while the Roosters are confident he will take both of them up to remain at the club, it's not just rugby league chasing Suaalii.
Rugby union desperately want the star ahead of the 2027 World Cup on home soil, so there is a very real chance that the outside back will have plenty of offers.
It's also known he wants to play fullback, which is something he won't do while at the Roosters.
Dylan Brown's 2022 season was the best of his short career to date, and there is little doubt that he has taken his market value on an upward trajectory as a result.
The Parramatta five-eighth had a very quiet 2021. At one point, he may never have taken his player option up for 2023, however, based on 2021 form, had little option without taking a major pay cut to switch clubs.
That player option is now set to expire, but 12 months later, and Brown has a year of form under his belt which has simply been excellent.
That will make him a hot commodity on the open market, with rumours clubs will chase him if the Eels can't lock him down in a hurry.
When it comes to boom rookies in the NRL, few have had first full seasons as excellent as the one that Jeremiah Nanai just put together.
The Cowboys' second rower made his debut for Queensland and is now with Australia at the Rugby League World Cup, and, if he continues the form of his opening season in the NRL, then he will play for whoever representative team that he wants to for the rest of his career.
On the contract front, Nanai took a gamble 12 months ago, betting that his value would go up again as he signed a one-year deal.
It means that, as we approach November 1, he is now free to sign on with another club again should he so choose, and it's hard to say that it wouldn't be on more money than what he might have been offered 12 months ago given just how strong he has been.
Nanai is a player the Cowboys will want to get locked up as soon as possible.
Matt Burton was simply phenomenal throughout the 2022 season in what was an often well-beaten Canterbury Bulldogs side.
An Origin and Kangaroos debutant, Burton's kicking game is his best attribute, but certainly not the only one that sets him apart from other halves in this competition.
He has a player option in his favour for 2024, so it's certainly up in the air whether he would entertain a move away from Belmore if the club put in a competitive offer - particularly now with a former coach of his in Cameron Ciraldo arriving.
But there is almost no doubt he will field offers from other clubs keen on upgrading in the halves.
All the talk is that Latrell Mitchell is going to re-sign with the South Sydney Rabbitohs beyond the end of the 2023 season.
That should hardly come as a surprise given how much he loves the club, and just how impressive he was last year after returning from a long-term injury.
The club put a mountain of investment into Mitchell, and he repaid the faith.
But will he do it long-term? South Sydney have indicated Mitchell is the priority, but with the club needing to upgrade contracts, as well as attempt to re-sign Damien Cook and Cody Walker in the same off-season, there could be questions around exactly how much they can offer the gun.
Mitchell Moses is one of the players with a player option heading into the 2024 season, but he is undoubtedly the best of anyone who is able to negotiate.
While there has always been an issue around his level of consistency, the way he stood up throughout 2022 has seemed to shake that particular issue off his back.
He couldn't inspire his team over the line in the grand final, but was still one of Parramatta's better players as they fell to Penrith. In previous weeks, he was the key reason Parramatta kept their season going.
He could be looking at seven figures on his next deal, and while the blue and gold are favoured to retain him, plenty of clubs will having a poke around to see if they can entice Moses away.