NRL 2024: Reece Walsh agrees to terms for $5.5m, five-year Brisbane Broncos contract

Reece Walsh is on track to become the highest paid player in the Broncos 36-year history, with the star fullback agreeing to terms on a monster five-year contract extension.

Reece Walsh is set to become the highest-paid player in Broncos history, after agreeing to terms on a five-year, $5.5m deal. Picture: Getty Images

Reece Walsh has agreed terms on a $5.5 million mega contract that will see the superstar Broncos fullback become the highest-paid player in Brisbane’s 36-year history.

This masthead can reveal Brisbane’s board have ratified a club-record deal for Walsh, who will become the first player in the Broncos’ decorated history to earn in excess of $1.1 million a season.

The 21-year-old will be the NRL’s youngest $1 million man.

The landmark contract makes Walsh one of the richest players in the code and will ease the pain of the facial fracture he suffered last week – ruling him out of Friday’s derby clash against the Cowboys.

Arguably rugby league’s most marketable figure, Walsh could have pocketed even more on the open market, where NRL rivals were prepared to pay up to $1.3 million for the Broncos sensation.

But Brisbane have got their blue-chip rock star for the long haul.

Reece Walsh is set to become the highest-paid player in Broncos history, after agreeing to terms on a five-year, $5.5m deal. Picture: Getty Images

Walsh’s management has advised Brisbane bosses Walsh, off-contract at the end of 2025 and able to source rival offers from November 1, has no intention of exploring free agency.

The parties are putting the finishing touches on a multi-year upgrade that will see the grand-final flyer’s salary almost triple in value.

Walsh and Broncos teammate Ezra Mam share the same management stable. Mam last month inked a monster upgrade to stay until the end of 2029 and a five-year extension will ensure Queensland Origin whiz-kid Walsh is locked in for the same period.

The Walsh package has been tabled to the Broncos board, who authorised the terms.

Broncos hierarchy will determine when to make a formal announcement but Walsh’s retention is a fait accompli, with coach Kevin Walters hailing ‘Reece Lightning’ as a key plank in their bid to snap an 18-year title drought.

“Reece is not going anywhere,” Walters said.

“I’m very confident he will stay.

“Reece is just getting better. He is only 21 and he makes some mistakes, but you can only imagine where Reece will be in three or four years’ time.

“He is a young guy with a lot to work on, but we love his energy and we love his instincts.

“He brings so much enthusiasm to the team.”

Reece Walsh with Broncos head coach Kevin Walters. Picture: Liam Kidston

Just two players in Broncos history have received $1 million deals. Former pivot Anthony Milford made history with his four-year extension in 2017 before superstar prop Payne Haas joined Brisbane’s select $1 million club when he inked a three-year upgrade last season.

But Walsh’s bumper extension will put him in a fiscal league of his own at Red Hill.

The Maroons maestro was on $400,000 last year after returning to Brisbane from the Warriors for family reasons, but under the new deal, Walsh’s massive pay rise will see him surge past the $1 million mark.

It is understood the package, bolstered by a third-party deal, is worth an average of $1.1m. There is scope for Walsh’s wage to further increase if there is a rise in the NRL salary cap under the code’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is due for renewal at the end of 2027.

The Broncos speed machine will eventually join James Tedesco, Ben Hunt, Tom Trbojevic, Daly Cherry-Evans, Cameron Munster, Nathan Cleary and Kalyn Ponga as NRL stars earning in excess of $1.1 million.

Walsh, who turns 22 in July, will be the youngest $1 million man in the code. Panthers champion Cleary ($1.3m last season) is 26, while the NRL’s top earner Ponga ($1.4m) celebrates his 26th birthday this Saturday.

The Nerang product has played 63 NRL games and recently admitted he was unlikely to leave the Broncos again after the shock of his eye-opening move to the Warriors in 2021.

“Going away, I learnt some really good lessons,” he said before Brisbane’s round 1 clash against the Roosters in Vegas.

“If I didn’t leave, I probably wouldn’t be in the position I’m in now.

“I was grateful for my time at the Warriors and the opportunity they gave me, but I’m just grateful to be back at the Broncos surrounded by good people and good leaders.

“I would love to secure some long-term stuff. I have my family down the road and I have some really good mates here.

“I love it at the club, I love the guys and the fans, we are building something really special here, so I’m looking forward to the future.”

The landmark contract will ease the pain of the facial fracture Walsh suffered in Round 3 against the Panthers. Picture: Liam Kidston

Brisbane CEO Dave Donaghy declined to discuss Walsh’s contractual situation, but is adamant Red Hill is the right environment for the backfield dynamo, whose childhood dream is to win a premiership for the Broncos.

“I had never met Reece before he left for the Warriors, but when I met him for the first time and saw him walk through, it was like he never left the Broncos,” Donaghy said last month.

“Reece has done a brilliant job on and off the field at our club since he has been back.

“I know how diligent he is in preparing for his games, so when you see how hard he works, it’s no surprise to see the performances he is able to put in on the field.

“The challenge for our club is to ensure we put the appropriate pieces around them to succeed off the field, but also on the field.

“There is no doubting Reece’s popularity. I’m sure he is inspiring a generation of future young fullbacks coming through.

“I have found him to be really grounded. I have found Reece to be really patient and accommodating for people that are wanting photos or selfies and that’s an important part of being a professional footballer these days.

“He understands that and is taking it in his stride. I am sure there will be ups and downs with Reece, he is only a young man, but we will do everything we can to support him and help him realise his potential.”