Brown is at the centre of of a pair of monster offers from rival clubs.

Dylan Brown is facing the biggest decision of his career amid reports two rival NRL clubs have offered the Parramatta playmaker 10-year, $13 million deals to try and entice him to move. Brown signed a controversial extension with the Eels until the end of the 2031 season that contains a number of player options in his favour which allow the No.6 to walk away before then.

Brown has until round 10 of the upcoming season to negotiate with rival clubs for next year or take up the option in his current deal with the Eels. He also holds player options in his favour for the following two seasons. Newcastle have been identified as one of the clubs interested in poaching Brown and Knights recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan has made no secret of his desire to sign the Kiwi Test star.

But reports from The Daily Telegraph claim the other suitor has asked to remain anonymous and will pull their offer if identified publicly. If Brown does take up either one of the $13 million offers, his contract would eclipse that of Tino Fa’asuamaleaui as the richest in NRL history. The Titans captain signed a 10-year, $12 million deal in 2023 but the monster offers for Brown would dwarf that.

It leaves the Eels five-eighth facing a massive call to either take the astronomical money on offer or show loyalty to the club that stood by him during an off-field incident in 2023. Brown was stood down for seven games and fined $40,000 after being found guilty of sexually touching a woman without consent during an alcohol-fuelled night out.

Penrith great Scott Sattler told SEN radio that he hopes Brown repay’s the faith Parramatta showed in him by committing his future to the club. But the Telegraph report points out that if Brown were to stay with the Eels and reject the rival offers, then he would be giving up an estimated $6.4 million.

Brown is currently on a reported $900,000 per season, with ratchet clauses in his contract that will eventually see him pocket a seven-figure salary from 2026. But if he does decide to take up one of the mega-money rival offers it would catapult Brown into the top echelon of the game’s highest earners such as Newcastle skipper Kalyn Ponga ($1.4m), Penrith’s Nathan Cleary ($1.3m) and Melbourne’s Cameron Munster ($1.3m).

It would also put Brown on more money than his Parramatta teammate and captain Mitch Moses ($1.25 million per season), who is keen for his halves partner to stay at the club. “That’s up to Dyl, I hope he stays, I love him, I love him to death,” Moses said. “I feel like I play my best footy with Dylan. That’s a decision he’s going to have to make in due course. It’s up to him, you (have to) give him as much time as he wants.”

Concerns raised over mega-money offers for Dylan Brown

Newcastle great Matty Johns is among those to question the mega-money bids for Brown after describing it as the sort of cash that should be reserved only for the game’s best five-eighths, such as Cameron Munster. Sattler and Sharks great Mat Rogers both agreed, claiming Brown isn’t worth that sort of money and that a 10-year deal would be loaded with risk.

“Dylan Brown can play footy, there’s no question. And I think he can get better… But $13 million over 10 years, my goodness!” Rogers said on SEN. “This is what happens in a game that is short on playmakers… but what that does is that takes them (clubs) out of the game for a $1 million half for the next 10 years. What happens in three years when they develop some young gun?”

Sattler pointed out that long-term injuries and maintaining motivation were also huge risks that come with such a long-term contract for a player. “These are the hurdles you can be faced with, it’s injuries, it’s lack of form, it’s lack of motivation with a 10-year contract,” Sattler said. “Trying to motivate yourself and not (just) feel comfortable and that comes down to the value of the individual.”