Reece Walsh's $450,000 sacrifice that helped Broncos snare Ben Hunt amid salary cap crunch

Ben Hunt has been squeezed into the Broncos salary cap on a cut-price deal. But many were stunned to learn Brisbane could even afford him at $550,000 a season.

The Broncos recently tied down star fullback Reece Walsh to a four-year $4.4 million extension, a deal that will make him the highest-paid player in the club's history. However, his contract - which will see him almost double his salary - doesn't kick in until 2026.

It means the superstar fullback will earn just $650,000 in 2025 before his deal skyrockets to $1.1 million a season. Walsh's contract structure as well as Adam Reynolds' pay packet reducing in 2025, has allowed for Michael Maguire to bring in Hunt to bolster Brisbane's spine in a bid to break their 19-year premiership drought.

But come 2026, Maguire will have an even bigger headache. Hunt took a massive pay cut to join the Broncos, with his salary plummeting from $1 million a season at the Dragons to just $550,000 at Brisbane. But that deal is for both 2025 and 2026, presenting Brisbane with a problem at the conclusion of next season when Walsh's deal bumps up exponentially.

In recent years the club has also handed out several multimillion-dollar contract upgrades to the likes of Ezra Mam, Payne Haas and vice-captain Pat Carrigan. And it means something has to give at Red Hill sooner rather than later.

Brisbane's salary cap had very little wiggle room last year, with the club reportedly having just $150,000 left before the June 30 transfer cut-off, according to The Courier Mail. After rejecting Tevita Pangai Jnr, they used that money to bring in Jack Gosiewski and the Broncos have again recalibrated their salary cap for 2025 to snare Hunt as they chase they try to break their title drought.

But come 2026 they are in a sticky situation. Brisbane skipper Reynolds is currently on $550,000 a year, Mam commands $750,000 a season, hooker Billy Walters pockets $300,000 a year and even the likes of backup hooker Cory Paix ($300,000) and Kobe Hetherington ($400,000) take up fair chunks of their salary cap.

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Broncos squad set for serious shake-up in 2026

Even before the Hunt deal, many believed the futures of Selwyn Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs could lie away from the club due to the stress on the salary cap already. The pair are both off-contract next season and Brisbane are yet to lock down either player down on a new deal.

However, Maguire continues to stress the plan is to hold onto both of them. Cobbo and Staggs are currently on contracts worth around $650,000 a season and both are expected to get upgraded deals, whether they remain at Red Hill or not.

If Reynolds decides to retire at the end of 2024, it theoretically makes up the difference for Walsh's bumper contract. Getting Paix and Hetherington off the books are options to make some room, however, there are plenty of off-contract players that could also be let go in order to hold onto the strike pair.

Of Brisbane's top 30 who are all on full-time deals, half of them are off-contract at the end of 2025. While many under contract will be likely to demand improved offers to stay at Red Hill. And despite there being a slight increase in the NRL’s base salary cap from $11.25 million this season to $11.4m in 2025, it will be impossible for Brisbane to hold onto the same squad they will line up within 2025 for the 2026 campaign.