Ezra Mam in staggering $4 million development amid Reece Walsh saga at Broncos
The huge move is one of the last pieces of the puzzle for the Brisbane Broncos.
The Brisbane Broncos have just one major piece of their contract puzzle remaining after confirming that Ezra Mam has re-signed with the club until the end of the 2029 NRL season. The huge five-year extension will reportedly see the 21-year-old pocket upwards of $4 million, with the long-term future of Reece Walsh now looming as Brisbane's biggest priority.
The Broncos confirmed Mam's extension after releasing a statement on Tuesday morning that accompanied a social media post captioned with: "He's our Mam. Ezra extends until 2029." The club statement confirmed that Mam had inked a five-year extension that will see him remain at Red Hill until at least the end of the 2029 season.
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Initial reports suggested the deal for Mam was worth closer to $3 million dollars but The Courier Mail reports that figure could be more than $4 million. It means the salary for the 21-year-old is set to triple, with Mam earning just $250,000 in his breakout season with Brisbane in 2023. The Mam news will come as a huge blow to Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins, who were willing to offer the five-eighth a massive deal to become a marquee player at the club.
The Broncos are also close to tying up a one-year extension for Mam's halves partner Adam Reynolds, who said the sky is the limited for his freakishly talented teammate. Brisbane coach Kevin Walters also suggested Mam's best footy is still ahead of him after hailing the youngster's re-signing.
“Ezra is a born-and-bred Bronco and it’s great that he is staying where he belongs,” Walters said. “He is an exciting player but he also likes to get in there and do the tough stuff and to do what needs to be done for his team.
“We have only scratched the surface on what Ez can do – we’ll keep on working with him to improve his game and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together over the years ahead.” Reynolds revealed that Mam has long-term designs to take over as the Broncos halfback, meaning the veteran No.7 is likely to have at least two seasons to groom the 21-year-old into the chief playmaking role.
Extending Reece Walsh the Broncos biggest priority
Reynolds revealed this week he's "pretty certain" a contract extension will be agreed before round one that will keep him at the Broncos until the end of the 2025 season. It leaves the re-signing of Walsh as the No.1 priority for Brisbane, who are desperate to secure the long-term future of the Maroons superstar.
Walsh only made $450,000 last season but is also looking at a monster upgrade that will likely see him earn over $1 million per year on his next deal. The 21-year-old starred for Queensland in last year's State of Origin series win and was pivotal in the Broncos' run to the NRL grand final.
The Broncos have felt the effects of a salary cap squeeze after offering prop Payne Haas the richest deal in the club's history in 2023 and also re-signing representative forward, Patrick Carrigan. The club has offloaded star quartet Kurt Capewell, Thomas Flegler, Herbie Farnworth and Keenan Palasia to free up the necessary salary cap space to keep the likes of Mam and Walsh.
Walsh's current deal runs until 2025, meaning the Broncos will be desperate to tie up his future before the electric No.1 hits the open market on November 1. Walters has already expressed his eagerness to lock down Walsh and keep the core members of Brisbane's grand final squad together, despite the recent departures of four of the club's stars due to salary cap constraints.
“That’s what happens, we’ve seen with all the teams in the last 10 years you can’t hang on to all of them,” Walters said. “That’s the progression of our roster, it’s continually changing, and we do see Ezra as a long-term player here. Him and Walshy, we’d certainly like to see them here – they can move in if they want. We’re heading in the right direction as a club and as a team.
"I’m really excited about the group we’ve put together... and I’m confident we’ll have another good season.” The Broncos travel to Las Vegas to take on the Roosters in the second match of the NRL's season-opening double-header in the United States on March 3 (March 4 AEDT), with Manly and the Rabbitohs locking horns in the first match of the new season.
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