Ben Hunt's Broncos contract yet to be registered by NRL as $350,000 detail sparks probe
Hunt has taken a massive pay cut by agreeing to re-join the Broncos.
The NRL is yet to officially register Ben Hunt's contract with the Brisbane Broncos, with the salary cap auditor expected to take a close look at a $350,000 discrepancy between the new deal and his previous one at St George Illawarra. The Dragons agreed to release Hunt from the final year of a contract that was reportedly worth $950,000 for next season, with Brisbane agreeing on a two-year deal with the veteran halfback for around $600,000 per season.
The signing raised plenty of eyebrows after Hunt decided to sacrifice $350,000 and the Broncos landed a rep star on what appeared to be a cut-price deal. A lot of the speculation surrounding Hunt's future - before he ultimately agreed on a return to Brisbane - centred around the playmaker's market value which was understood to be between $750,000 - $900,000 per season.
It was suggested the NRL would not allow Hunt to join another club on a cut-price deal, but that certainly looks to be what has eventuated. According to The Courier Mail, however, Hunt's contract is yet to be officially rubber-stamped because the Broncos hadn't sent the necessary paperwork through to the NRL by close of business last week.
NRL clubs have seven days to lodge contract details with the NRL after announcing the signing of a player. And the fact that Hunt's deal with Brisbane was announced last Tuesday means they have less than 48 hours to lodge the contract with the NRL before the salary cap auditor can go over the finer details and green-light the veteran's move.
It was widely speculated that the Broncos might struggle to fit Hunt under their salary cap based on his market value and the extensions of a host of stars on big money such as Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam, Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan. Even before Hunt's signing there were numerous reports that a salary cap crunch at the Broncos had left them struggling to retain Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo, with one of the two strike centres expected to be squeezed out.
Ben Hunt signing raises salary cap questions at Broncos
Rival clubs will certainly be curious to see what the NRL's response is to the Hunt contract and how Brisbane have managed to fit him under their salary cap. The Broncos can point to a number of factors that have allowed them to add someone of Hunt's quality when Haas, Carrigan and Mam are all set to be earning upwards of $750,000 each next season.
Walsh will still be on around $650,000 for next season before his club-record $1.1 million salary kicks in from the 2026 season. But with Staggs on around $700,000 per season, Cobbo on an estimated $600,000, Adam Reynolds pocketing roughly $500,000 and other stars such as Billy Walters, Jordan Riki, Brendan Piakura and Cory Jensen earning decent money, it's no surprise to hear whispers that rival clubs are questioning the Hunt contract.
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The Broncos sweetened the deal for Hunt by offering him a role when he retires from footy and could also point to his age as a factor that would drive down his market value, with the halfback set to turn 35 in the early stages of next season. With Mam expected to be missing from the first couple of months of the 2025 campaign pending the result of his drug-driving court case, Hunt is expected to link up with 34-year-old Reynolds in what would be the most experienced halves pairing in the NRL.
Hunt's arrival could also speed up the exit of either Staggs or Cobbo as a way of helping the Broncos balance their salary cap going forward. And Brisbane can potentially counter the questions around Hunt's signing by arguing that their nursery of talent and the cheaper cost of living than Sydney helps them retain many of their younger stars and ward off potential interest from rival clubs.
