Broncos star Ben Te Kura in bombshell talks with NFL after talks with Lions, Jets

Brisbane star Ben Te Kura is weighing up a bombshell move to the NFL, after secretly talking with the Detroit Lions and New York Jets earlier this season.

The tallest player in NRL history, Broncos 205cm giant Ben Te Kura, is weighing up a bombshell defection to the NFL after holding talks with Detroit and the New York Jets.

This masthead can reveal Te Kura has attracted interest from the two NFL clubs in the lead-up to the 2025 draft in late April in a poaching raid which shocked the hulking Broncos bookend.

Australia’s only NFL-accredited agent Dwane Bugden, an American conduit for Te Kura, confirmed the talks.

He said the Jets and Lions are ready to sign Te Kura “tomorrow” should the 122kg Broncos front-row monster look to follow in the footsteps of Sydney’s NFL superstar Jordan Mailata, who won the Super Bowl with Philadelphia in February.

Ben Te Kura towers over his Broncos teammates at training. Picture: Adam Head

“The interest is absolutely genuine,” said Gold Coast-based NFL agent Bugden.

“Both New York and Detroit are super keen on Ben.

“He would have gone right away this season, but he had his contract with the Broncos.

“So he had to weigh it up and take it into consideration.

“They are keen as mustard. They would sign him tomorrow, so Ben will make a decision at the end of this season and see what he wants to do.”

Brisbane bosses were made aware of the American football interest in Te Kura, who is contracted to the Broncos until the end of 2027.

One of the potential suitors, the Jets, have a history of affording opportunities to NRL players.

In 2019, Queensland Origin outside back Valentine Holmes quit the NRL and spent several months on the Jets’ practice squad as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program.

Holmes ultimately failed to make the cut and returned to the NRL with the Cowboys.

That followed the trailblazing feats of Jarryd Hayne, who played eight games for San Francisco in 2015, and Souths under-20s prop Mailata, who made history by winning a Super Bowl with Philadelphia this year.

Now ‘Big Ben’ is the latest NRL player on the NFL’s radar.

Dwane Bugden is a Gold Coast-based NFL agent.

It can be revealed New York and Detroit officials first reached out to Bugden in February to register their interest.

Jets scouts analysed footage of the Broncos prop and were said to be impressed by Te Kura’s size and mobility.

The talks were held over a two-month period between February and April this year.

It got so serious that Jets recruitment chiefs indicated they wanted to fly Te Kura to the US immediately for training and testing.

That prompted an NRL third party to contact the Broncos to inform the club of the Jets’ preliminary interest and whether Brisbane would be open to a release if New York or the Detroit Lions acted further.

It’s understood the Broncos would not have stood in Te Kura’s way, but the 21-year-old was wary of rushing the biggest decision of his sporting career by quitting Brisbane immediately with no guarantee of success in America.

Te Kura confirmed he is weighing up the prospect of emulating Mailata by testing himself in the NFL.

Ben Te Kura is in the Broncos system. Credit: NRL Images.

“Some opportunities only come once in your life,” Te Kura said.

“I do enjoy watching NFL.

“I like the Eagles. I was actually a fan of them before they even won the Super Bowl.

“It’s cool what Mailata has done.

“It’s pretty unbelievable, but the fact he did it from rugby league opens up a pathway for people from Australia and gives you that belief that you can do it.

“Obviously I am worried about this sport at the moment. Right now my priority is getting a Broncos jersey, but it could be something I am interested in down the track.

“I’m happy at the Broncos and I want to prove myself in the NRL. But you have to do what’s best for yourself and your family.

“Down the road, it (playing in the NFL) is an option for me.”

Mailata graduated from the NFL’s International Player Pathway program in 2017 and was picked up by Philadelphia the following year.

Now 28, Mailata once struggled to earn $10,000 at South Sydney, But last year signed a three-year upgrade with Philadelphia worth a staggering $100 million.

Super Bowl champion for the Philadelphia Eagles, offensive tackle Jordan Mailata has made a successful switch to the NFL. Picture: AP Photo

Te Kura will be 23 when he comes off-contract at the Broncos and still has time on his side to one day test himself in American football.

Standing six-foot-seven, Te Kura is two centimetres taller than the 157kg Mailata, but would have to put on at least 20kg to compete in the NFL.

Bugden said Te Kura would be suited to tackle, the same position as Mailata, and is adamant he can cut it in the NFL.

“Ben can make it, 100 per cent,” he said.

“He is too lean at the moment, but he is a good thinker and very good on his feet for a big guy.

“I went over to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis (in February) and a Jets scout came over to me and said, ‘Can you give me some info on Ben Te Kura.’

“If Ben said yes they would have taken him. The Jets were asking for his passport to book flights, that’s how legitimate it was.

NRL star Valentine Holmes made the switch to the NFL for the New York Jets but ultimately failed to make the cut. Picture: New York Jets

“Ben would have gone over there as an undrafted free agent and he would have gone to a mini-camp straight after the draft.

“Ben needed to make a serious call. It was a big pressure situation and we said to him you don’t have to rush it, you can see out the season with the Broncos and take your time.

“The Jets or Detroit would still need to have a good look at him and it’s a brutal industry in the NFL.

“But the option is there. He has another 12 months now to make a decision.”

Te Kura, who fractured his foot last Sunday, has struggled to break into the Broncos’ top 17 this season. He has played just two games and, like Mailata, there are concerns he could be too big for the NRL.

Te Kura admits he enjoys his status as the biggest player in NRL history. Picture: NRL Imagery

The Queensland under-19s enforcer says he enjoys his reputation as the biggest man in NRL history.

“It’s a cool title to have,” he said.

“Obviously people just think I run over people but I have other assets to my game.

“It can be a bit embarrassing at times, people come up to me all the time and say you’re the biggest player in the game.

“I’m enjoying being at the Broncos.

“I’m working hard under ‘Madge’ (coach Michael Maguire). I had a few holes in my game after my injury with my fitness but Madge has given me one job to do - to work on my fitness and I’ve done that.”

Maguire is a fan of Te Kura and says the forward has a bright future at the Broncos - if he wants to stay in rugby league.

“We’ve just got to get him on the park on a regular basis,” he said.

“A big fella like that has just got to play footy.

“Unfortunately, he’s just been disrupted because of his body.”