NRL: Ezra Mam set to sign four-year, $3 million contract extension with Brisbane Broncos

Ezra Mam is set to reject interest from six NRL rivals, including Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins, and ink one of the richest deals in Brisbane’s 35-year history.

Ezra Mam is set to reject interest from six NRL rivals, including Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins, and ink a Broncos mega deal that will make him Brisbane’s next $1 million man.

This masthead can reveal the Broncos are on the verge of a Christmas bonus, with the Dolphins failing in their poaching bid as Mam closes in on signing one of the richest deals in Brisbane’s 35-year history.

There were fears the Broncos could be blown out of the water by monster rival offers for Mam, with Brisbane bosses also attempting to upgrade superstar fullback Reece Walsh and extend skipper Adam Reynolds for another 12 months in 2025.

Having already poached Broncos duo Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth, the Dolphins upped the ante, with supercoach Bennett formally expressing interest in luring Mam to Redcliffe.

But Brisbane’s grand final hero, off-contract next season, will not walk out on the Broncos as Mam looks to snap the club’s 18-year premiership drought next season.

The Broncos have tabled a multi-year deal to Mam and it’s understood NRL rivals can’t seriously exceed the terms put forward by Brisbane chiefs.

Brisbane are flexible on a long-term arrangement for the Indigenous phenom, who stands to pocket $3 million-plus by inking a four-year contract.

Ezra Mam is set to sign a monster extension with the Broncos. Picture: Adam Head

Mam has yet to formally ink the deal, but the Broncos are confident they will have the 20-year-old under lock and key by Christmas after reconfiguring their salary cap aided by Kurt Capewell’s departure to the Warriors last week.

That freed up an extra $550,000 in the salary cap and the Broncos will use those funds to secure key playmaking trio Mam, Walsh and Reynolds.

With the NRL salary cap having risen 25 per cent this year, plus further incremental increases for 2024 and beyond, Mam’s salary at the Broncos will gradually increase to reach the $1 million mark.

Just two players in Broncos history have hit the seven-figure mark - former five-eighth Anthony Milford and star prop Payne Haas - but Mam is headed for Millionaire’s Row and Walsh will eventually join him.

Had the Broncos opted not to release Capewell, there was a danger Brisbane could have lost either Mam or Walsh, or both depending on the scale of rival offers.

It is believed the Dolphins discussed a four-year deal for Mam, but Brisbane weren’t about to lose another key Bronco to their expansion rivals after the defection of Flegler and Farnworth.

Brisbane’s last big-money deal for a five-eighth - Milford - failed to deliver title dividends, but the Broncos believe Mam can be a 10-year force in the No.6 jumper made famous by Darren Lockyer.

Mam had a superb 2023 campaign and underlined his status as one of the rising superstars of the code’s with a sublime 11-minute hat-trick that gave Brisbane a 24-8 lead over Penrith in the grand final.

The Broncos ultimately suffered a heartbreaking 26-24 loss, but the pain of grand-final defeat has only stoked the fire in Mam to engineer Brisbane’s first premiership since 2006.

A number of southern NRL rivals were also targeting Mam, but the Queensland Origin hopeful said he was relishing being coached by Kevin Walters and mentored by skipper Reynolds.

“That’s my aim, to stay here at the Broncos,” Mam told News Corp last month.

“I want to start another generation here.

Broncos move to tie down Ezra Mam and Reece Walsh on long term deals. Picture: Liam Kidston

“It (signing a new deal) would definitely be a great opportunity to jump on the bandwagon here with the other boys and make the Broncos great again.

“Seeing Payne re-sign and all the other boys stay here, it’s a huge factor for myself.

“I love the Broncos because of the culture and the professionalism of the club.

“Hopefully we can get that deal done soon and I’ll be here for a long time.”

Mam, who only made his NRL debut 18 months ago, was on around $250,000 this year, but his salary will triple after a sizzling 2023 campaign that saw him score 18 tries from 25 games.

Walters said last week he was supremely confident of staving off a poaching raid and keeping Mam at Red Hill.

“He is a big part of our future and we’d love him to stay,” Walters said when asked if a deal for Mam was close.

“I’m sure there’ll be a lot of clubs (targeting him).

“We’re in the process of negotiating with him and his manager and we believe it’s going to work out okay.

“He showed his skills in the last month (of the 2023 season) for someone so young.

“The future is really bright for Ezra and the Broncos.”