Selwyn Cobbo or Kotoni Staggs might be headed out of the Broncos soon, after Reece Walsh inked a big new $5 million contract that would put a strain on the NRL team’s pay limit. Walsh allegedly consented to stay in Brisbane for a $5 million, four-year contract extension.

The Broncos have taken action to tie him down before he becomes a free agency for 2026 on November 1, even if nothing is official just yet. Walsh was reportedly considering a new $6 million agreement, according to early rumors from earlier this year.

But even though Walsh appears to have decided to accept a $1 million pay cut, some of his colleagues will still suffer as a result of his new deal. Recent big-money signings by Ezra Mam, Payne Haas, and Patrick Carrigan have left very little room for other players, especially with Walsh expected to take home an additional $5 million.

Come November 1, Cobbo and Staggs are free to negotiate with other teams, and it looks like the Broncos may have to part ways with at least one of them, if not both. “You look at the two centers they have, Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo, both of whom are guys who are free agents on November 1st,” chief reporter Brent Read said on NRL 360 on Monday night. I assume the Broncos won’t be able to retain both of those players. Unless they want to have really big haircuts, they probably have to pick a choice.

“The Broncos’ problem is that Mam received a massive upgrade last year—roughly $800k—and so did Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan,” Phil Rothfield continued. They are thus spending a large portion of their cap on four excellent players.

Cobbo Selwyn and Staggs Kotoni.$5 million deal for Reece Walsh will lead to a salary constraint crunch
The Broncos made the right decision in handing Walsh $1.25 million a season; he is a player of a generation who will fill seats with shit for the foreseeable future. Even Kalyn Ponga, who plays fullback for the Newcastle Knights and earns $1.4 million, is paid more than he is in the NRL. However, as the Knights have shown, spending so much money on one player makes it difficult to recruit talented players to a squad and may be fatal if the star player has a significant injury.

Coach Kevin Walters has already said that Cobbo and Staggs would have to forgo raises in order to stay with the Broncos. However, after a precipitous decline to place 12th in 2024, there’s a good probability they’ll go elsewhere to get compensated for their true value.

Wendell Sailor, a Broncos great, foresaw this very scenario in a speech he gave in October. Speaking on Triple M radio, he stated, “I like Ezra, but that’s a lot of money.” A few months ago, I had mentioned giving Reece Walsh a million dollars. That means that if you give him a million dollars, you’re also giving Payne Haas a million dollars. You’re overpaying, so something has to give.”Broncos won’t be able to snare Sam Walker at halfback
As Darren Lockyer pointed out earlier this month, the circumstances also mean the Broncos cannot afford to bring experienced halfback Adam Reynolds back in Sam Walker’s stead. Walker, a native of Queensland, is the perfect player the Broncos might want at number seven, but they won’t have the money to sign him.

“They’ve invested a lot of time in a young player called Cody Black who they hope to develop as their long-term No. 7 pick. Read remarked, “I don’t think they’re willing to give up on him.” And Sam is requesting a price that is well over $1 million. They probably can’t afford to accommodate him.

“The salary cap probably restricts you from bringing someone like that to the club at the moment, because he’s demanding big money,” Lockyer said earlier this month. The Roosters have already made him a respectable offer, but one that is far less than what he is demanding. The Broncos currently could not afford that kind of talent, thus they would not be on the market.”