NRL 2022: Payne Haas contract saga set to explode again at end of season despite release backflip

The Payne Haas saga has settled for now after backflipping on his release request, but it’s a powder keg that could set off again in four months, writes Travis Meyn.

Payne Haas talks to David Fifita after requesting a release from the Broncos. Picture: NRL

The Payne Haas contract fiasco is a powder keg that has the potential to explode at the Brisbane Broncos once again in four months’ time.

Haas and the Broncos’ agreement on Tuesday to park contract talks until the completion of Brisbane’s 2022 NRL campaign was the right decision – for now.

It allows the team to focus on playing finals football for the first time since 2019 and gives Haas an opportunity to win back the support of jaded Broncos’ fans that booed him at Suncorp Stadium last Friday night.

But this isn’t the end of the matter. There are still two parties with conflicting views that must reach an agreement before harmony returns to Red Hill.

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The Payne Haas contract fiasco has settled for now, but threatens to explode again at the end of 2022. Picture: Getty Images.

As it stands, Haas – and his management, supporters and advisors – are unhappy with the terms of his current Broncos contract, which doesn’t expire until the end of 2024.

Haas, 22, wants more money and performance clauses inserted into a revised contract brokered by his new manager, Tyran Smith, who met with the Broncos on Monday following the dramatic events of last week.

While the Broncos should be open to negotiating a new salary for Haas, they would be mad to accept performance clauses relating to the club’s ladder position at the end of each season.

There are simply too many variables that can impact where the Broncos finish in the competition any given year.

What if they lose halfback and captain Adam Reynolds to injury for a season? What if Haas is injured or suspended and misses a significant period of time? What if a shocking referee decision costs them a spot in the top four?

If the Broncos did accept the clauses and Haas was allowed to walk out on the club at the end of a season, how could they replace a player on a $1 million-a-season salary when the NRL market is empty at the end of the year?

It is simply not feasible. No club should ever accept such demands from a player. There is no room for negotiation.

Payne Haas has been the Broncos best for the past three years, but they’d be crazy to give in to his demands. Picture: John Appleyard.

Haas has won Brisbane’s Paul Morgan Medal for three straight years and the Broncos have already shown good faith in upgrading his contract to reflect his value to the club.

The fact they are willing to even talk about upgrading him once again, when his contract doesn’t expire until 2024, proves the Broncos are giving Haas every opportunity to salvage his future at Red Hill.

The NRL will hopefully have its new collective bargaining agreement finalised by the end of the season which will give clarity around what the salary cap looks like in the coming years.

That will allow the Broncos to decide exactly what they value Haas at and he will likely have to commit to a longer term at Red Hill if he wants to secure more money.

While pausing talks was the right decision, this week’s development has only delayed the inevitable.

The Broncos and Haas will find themselves at the negotiating table once again in four months’ time.

Can they reach an amicable agreement or are they headed for another Red Hill rumble?

Only time will tell.

EXCLUSIVE: HOW BRONCOS CONVINCED HAAS TO STAY

—Peter Badel & Brent Read

Payne Haas has dropped another bombshell with the NSW Origin enforcer to stay at the Broncos, quickly backflipping on his request last week for an immediate release.

News Corp can reveal Haas’ management has advised Broncos hierarchy the controversial prop will be honouring his existing deal after crisis talks between the two parties in the past 24 hours.

Effectively, the shock release request has been withdrawn.

Haas’ contract expires at the end of 2024 and he will put contract talks on hold until the end of the season, closing the door on a brief and explosive chapter in which Brisbane’s No.1 player wanted out on the eve of last week’s clash against the Titans.

Haas could feasibly ask for another release at season’s end, but the Broncos are confident they can deliver a culture that satisfies the prop’s stated desire to win a premiership.

The development will come as a relief for Broncos hierarchy, who were rocked by an email from Haas’ management last Wednesday night requesting an immediate release following a $3.2 million pay dispute.

Haas’ new manager Tyran Smith was seeking a major upgrade for the code’s best prop. He wanted the 22-year-old, on $748,000 this year, to be placed on a $1 million deal for next season and 2024 before proposing a one-year, $1.2 million extension for 2025.

Payne Haas talks to David Fifita after requesting a release from the Broncos. Picture: NRL

While the Broncos have enormous regard for their three-time Paul Morgan Medallist, they informed the Haas camp they simply couldn’t afford such amounts under the salary cap.

Brisbane fans vented their fury, booing Haas every time he touched the ball in the Broncos’ 35-24 defeat of the Titans, a supporter backlash that the towering prop admitted had “rattled” him.

In the wake of the Titans win, Haas exclusively told News Corp his preference was to stay and it appears the crisis is over as quickly as it started.

It is understood Smith flew to Brisbane on Monday for a meeting with members of the Broncos’ recruitment-and-retention committee.

Talks were described as amicable and positive, with Smith subsequently emailing Broncos bosses to inform them Haas was happy to put off talks until the end of the season.

The Broncos will continue discussions with Haas’ management with a view to a possible longer-term deal.

“Everyone at our club holds Payne in the highest regard and we feel it very important to have these confidential conversations at a time of the year when there are no distractions,” Broncos chief executive Dave Donaghy said.

“Payne has been a big part of our club for a number of years and we are looking forward to welcoming him back once his State of Origin duties conclude.”

Haas also acknowledged that he wanted to keep his focus on the field.

“I underestimated the public interest in my contract situation so want to put those discussions on hold and keep my focus where it needs to be,” Haas said. “I want the fans to know that they will get nothing but my best every time I pull on a Broncos jersey.”

Clearly, Haas was stunned by the vitriol from the very Broncos fans who have worshipped him during his past three seasons in which he has been Brisbane’s most consistent player.

Broncos football boss Ben Ikin told News Corp last Saturday he remained hopeful of retaining Haas and taking the sting out of what was viewed as an emotional reaction from the prop.

“Payne Haas is one of the best players in the game so we will be doing everything we can to get an outcome that’s good for the club and hopefully good for the player,” Ikin said.

“Payne is hugely respected by his teammates for many reasons and beyond that as an individual, I don’t think I have ever met anyone with the mental resolve that he’s got.

“I’ve had multiple conversations over the phone and in person with Payne’s management.

“The job for us is to make sure as football department leaders we keep a sense of stability while we work through this problem.

“I’m not concerned it will drag on.”

Payne Haas will honour his contract. Picture: NRL

The reality is Haas would have struggled to attract a vastly superior deal on the open market.

The constraints of the NRL salary cap make it almost impossible for any club to outlay $1.2 million a season for one player, especially a front-rower.

Haas will become Brisbane’s highest-paid player from November 1, when his salary rises to $848,000, usurping Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds, who is on $800,000.

Haas, who entered State of Origin camp with NSW on Monday, reiterated that his contract spat with the Broncos wasn’t about money.

“If I was about money I would have left ages ago,” Haas said.

“Everyone can have their own opinion. I know who I am.”

Haas also laughed off suggestions he was bound for the Sydney Roosters, the club that has been constantly linked with his signature in recent weeks and months.

“I do laugh at that,” he said.

“I am not allowed to talk to anyone. I haven’t spoken to anyone at the moment. I am trying to sort this out at the moment with the Broncos.”

Haas’ commitment to honour his deal with the Broncos buys the club time to strike a new deal with their star front-rower, who has played 72 games for Brisbane since his NRL debut in 2018.

Haas isn’t able to sign with rival clubs until November 1, 2023, meaning Brisbane can take their time to negotiate any upgraded deal.

Given recent events, it seems highly unlikely the Broncos will be in a rush to return to the negotiating table.

If Haas is craving a premiership, now he has the chance to help Brisbane break a 16-year title drought.

Originally published as NRL 2022: Payne Haas contract saga set to explode again at end of season despite release backflip