Dylan Brown has put months of speculation to bed by spurning reported advances from the Dolphins in favour of inking a three-year deal to remain at Parramatta.
The five-eighth’s new contract is set to end upon the conclusion of the 2025 season, although there is an added stipulation that allows for Brown to trigger an extension though until 2031.
How will Dylan Brown's contract with the Eels work?
The possible nine-year deal is highly unusual in league circles, but the Eels’ CEO Jim Sarantinos explained how it was simply a consequence of the current confusion around the salary cap which has stemmed from the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement.
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“It’s a really painful operation,” Phil Rothfield told The Big Sports Breakfast.
“I think they’ve all but reached an agreement with the clubs on the salary cap and funding model.
“The salary cap will be about $11.8 million but they haven’t got any agreement with the players.
“They’re still a little way off there so I don’t think they can announce a salary cap until they’ve finalised their talks and fully understand what the players’ share of the pie is going to be.”
However, Brown has inked his deal in spite of this impasse, which could see him become a one-club player after progressing through the junior pathways system as a 15-year-old.
“Dylan and I discussed his journey so far and what he wanted to achieve both on the field and off the field in the future,” Brown's agent, Gavin Orr, said.
“The Parramatta Eels provides him the greatest environment to achieve these goals.”
Meanwhile, Sarantinos was keen to highlight the vast potential the club was investing in with their long-term commitment to the playmaker.
“He’s a young man, just 22, and has a long journey ahead in his NRL career,” Sarantinos said.
“That journey can take many turns. There are several unknowns around the salary cap and given this deal extends beyond the current broadcast rights agreement, we wanted to give Dylan the flexibility within his contract to feel comfortable going forward.
“Everything Dylan has done in his first four years has given us the confidence that he will be a big, big part of the future of this club.”
We've got a PRESENT for you ⚠️🎁#PARRAdise pic.twitter.com/ulL2GJOd6N
— Parramatta Eels (@TheParraEels) December 18, 2022
It is believed the next time Brown will possibly be available on the open market is at the end of 2025 when he has an option in his favour, while both Parramatta and Brown will then have another chance part-way through the ensuing six-year period to renegotiate terms.
"We respected his and his manager's wishes and we're comfortable with where we landed," Sarantinos said.
"The deal was negotiated heavily on both sides and ultimately this is where we landed.”
Can Parramatta retain both Dylan Brown and Mitch Moses?
The Kiwi international has been a mainstay in Brad Arthur’s side since first breaking onto the scene as a teenager in 2019, where he won 10 of the 15 matches that he featured in.
After a few campaigns spent establishing himself in the spine, this season Brown took his game to a new level after developing his passing skills and forming a lethal partnership with Mitch Moses in the halves.
The duo guided Parramatta all the way to the grand final after playing off the back of a big forward pack who were utilised as the main building blocks around the side’s structure in attack.
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Brown - who is quickly closing in on the 100-game milestone in the NRL - recorded 17 try assists in 2022, while also crossing the stripe himself on 11 occasions.
It was the best year of his career to date, and he must now continue to produce a similar output after the club backed him with a mammoth contract.
Brown becomes the latest in a long line of stars to re-commit their futures to the Eels with co-captains Junior Paulo and Clint Gutherson having agreed to fresh terms, while backrowers Ryan Matterson and Shaun Lane both signed new deals during the year.
Parramatta are still attempting to retain the services of Moses with the halfback now viewed as the final piece of the puzzle in keeping the club as perennial premiership challengers for the foreseeable future.
“The priority is to lock both of them up and that remains the case,” Sarantinos said.
“We’re still very keen for Moses to be at the club long term and that’s our priority and the discussions are still continuing.
“The guys showed how well they combined this year, and they took us to a grand final. To have one of the best halves pairings is critical in the success of any team."
