The Brisbane Broncos are once again in a race against time to sign Ezra Mam.
Mam is currently regarded as the Broncos’ top priority, even though the team is in a precarious and tight pay cap scenario as a result of recent long-term contract extensions for Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan.
That places him ahead of even veteran halfback Adam Reynolds who is also off-contract at the end of 2024 but has publicly expressed a desire to play on and is believed to be in negotiations.
It also puts him on the priority list ahead of Reece Walsh. The star is off-contract at the end of the 2025 campaign and will be in for a bumper pay rise regardless of whether he stays with the Broncos or not on the back of a 2023 season where he became the Queensland State of Origin fullback and rose to prominence as one of the best custodians in the game.
Mam himself will be in for a big pay increase. The talented youngster quickly cemented his spot at five-eighth for the Broncos and is viewed by club authorities as a part of their long-term future.
Those contract talks first opened months ago with Mam and his management, but were put on hold over the finals.
Now News Corp are reporting they have commenced once again, with the club desperate to hang onto the five-eighth.
It’s unclear what value the Broncos will be able to afford for Mam, but it’s believed he could receive well in excess of six or seven hundred thousand dollars per year on the open market, if not more.
As a result, Brisbane is scrambling to complete a deal before November 1, the first day Mam can freely discuss 2025 deals with other clubs.
Mam, for his part, has frequently stated his desire to continue with the Broncos and recently reiterated to the publication that his goal is to remain there and “start a new generation”.
Great news for Brisbane