Why Newcastle Knights’ Dylan Brown deal could prove to be a ‘bargain’

Many believe the Knights splashing $13m on Eels five eighth Dylan Brown is complete madness, but it may actually be a genius move.

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Calling the richest deal in NRL history a bargain is a bit of a stretch I admit, but if you take a step back after scoffing at the $1.3m-a-season Dylan Brown will collect in his 10-year contract, you will realise it could be one of the best deals in the NRL-era.

For all his talent, Brown is not in the first 10 players that would come to mind for the player who should land the richest contract in NRL history, but he’s just done that after reportedly signing a 10-year deal with the Knights, kicking off in 2026 and worth close to $14m in total.

And with Kalyn Ponga on a whopping salary of nearly $1.4m per season himself, many didn’t think Newcastle had the salary cap space to make it possible.

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However, the reality is the money was there for them to spend, thanks to the start of what is a bit of a salary cap correction.

A large chunk of Daniel Saifiti’s $850,000 salary is now being paid by the Dolphins, while Leo Thompson will leave for the Bulldogs at the end of the year further freeing up funds.

But the real magic comes from the money made available by letting Jackson Hastings and Jayden Brailey go.

The out of favour Knights halfback rakes in around $700,000 a season, while the club’s second-choice hooker, Brailey, is on $650,000 a year.

Dylan Brown agreed to join the Knights on a $13m, 10-year deal on Monday. Picture: NRL Photos

Brailey is reportedly set to head to Canberra next year, with the Knights giving him a tap on the shoulder and telling him he won’t be re-signed when his contract is up at the end of the year.

Hastings is also almost certainly heading out the door at the end of 2025 when his deal expires, if not sooner.

So tally the savings from that pair, and it is more than Brown will earn a season. Not bad right?

While adding two player’s salaries together to fund a superstar doesn’t necessarily constitute a bargain, it is worth noting how easy it was for Newcastle to free up the money to bring him in.

It is also worth mentioning the salary cap will continue to go up $150,000 a season in the coming years, which will make Brown’s giant pay packet less of a pain to navigate as his deal wears on, albeit slightly.

Knights' $13m Dylan Brown deal could prove to be a bargain. Image: Getty

Why Dylan Brown deal could be a Newcastle masterstroke

Brown’s raw natural ability in his six years in first grade has been clear for all to see.

His combination with Mitchell Moses was pivotal as the club made four-straight finals appearances from 2019 to 2022 and the Kiwi international shone in the run to the grand final in 2022.

However, in the two years since, a mix of roster mismanagement and the fact he has had to adapt to fill in as a halfback has led to some... teething issues to say the least.

But the reality is Brown is only 24-years-old and with Ponga, Fletcher Sharpe, Bradman Best, Dane Gagai, Greg Marzhew and livewire James Schiller already at the club Adam O’Brien has an abundance of attacking threat.

For Brown, his job in the Hunter at least to begin, will be as simple as giving good service to Ponga and co and nailing a short kicking game, something he can do with his eyes closed.

But yet whether it be Jack Cogger, Hastings, Tyson Gamble, Adam Clune or Blake Green it is something no Newcastle halfback has been able to consistently do in several years.

And to add to that, it would not be bold to assume Brown’s best years are also ahead of him.

With players playing deep into their 30s now, a 10-year deal is not as extreme as it sounds on the surface.

When Daly Cherry-Evans penned an eight-year $10m deal in 2015, many thought Manly had gone mad.

At that time the deal was seen as complete and utter madness, however, now as he enters the final year of that deal no one is saying, ‘Wow isn’t Daly Cherry-Evans overpaid!’.

The reality is with the salary cap going up each year, it is almost certain that several players will be paid more per year than Brown by the time his deal is coming to a close.

Dylan Brown could fully unlock Kalyn Ponga’s potential. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Newcastle Knights solve biggest headache, the need for a halfback

But most important of all is what a quality halfback can do for the club.

Brown’s impressive kicking, passing and running game on paper should perfectly unlock Ponga and Sharpe and it is clear, that the Knights’ premiership window should open in the next few years.

While the reality is the halfback market is incredibly scarce and Brown was simply the best option available.

And with more teams soon to enter the league in the coming years, I understand why the Knights decided to put all their eggs in the Brown basket.

The Knights’ No. 7 jersey has been a revolving door since Mitchell Pearce.

And with Ponga now in his prime, there is a sense of now or never around Newcastle.

While top halves are scarce now, getting your hands on one will only be harder in the coming years.

Top NRL halfbacks Cherry-Evans, Moses, Ben Hunt, Adam Reynolds, and Jahrome Hughes are all 30 years or older.

While the likes of Sam Walker, Braydon Trindall and Nathan Cleary all aren’t going anywhere any time soon.

The only other half set to go to market is Lachlan Galvin, who is an exciting talent and plays with anything but structure, so would make next to no sense for the Knights to pursue.

So without a doubt, Brown is the best option Newcastle can get their hands on and it also provides a solid and consistent spine for the first time in a long time for Novocastrians to get behind.

Dylan Brown is expected to be the Knights No. 7 next season.

So is Dylan Brown a ‘bargain’?

A bargain is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “something acquired by or as if by negotiating over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or contract, especially an advantageous purchase”.

So if Brown can help the Knights break a more than two-decade NRL premiership drought, safe to say that more than constitutes a bargain buy.

Can he can do it?

Only time will tell.

Originally published as Why Newcastle Knights’ Dylan Brown deal could prove to be a ‘bargain’