Canberra remain confident Jack Wighton will finish his career as a one-club player despite the NSW Origin and Kangaroos star preparing to test his market value for the first time in 14 years.
Wighton has potentially turned the NRL player market on its head by informing Raiders officials he will explore his options elsewhere beyond the 2023 season.
A mainstay of Ricky Stuart’s side as both Canberra’s highest-paid and most influential player, most in rugby league had assumed he would take up the 2024 option in his contract, which is believed to be worth around $900,000 a season.
Raiders CEO Don Furner told the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday that Wighton had the club’s blessing to test the market, with his player option still able to be enacted, as the 30-year-old negotiates what is potentially his last NRL deal.
“We would love to see Jack finish as a one-club player and that’s certainly our aim,” Furner said.
“We’re fully prepared for this situation and he certainly deserves the chance to look around. Jack came across to Canberra as a 15- or 16-year-old.
“He’s been with us for 14 years and been loyal to our club, he’s never been shopped around, just always came back and signed up. This is possibly his last contract, he’s got a young family to think of and we fully support that.
“That said, we’ll do everything to keep him too. We’ll allow that process to happen and then continue talks. The timing is alright and it’s not an unusual thing with modern-day players.
“We saw [Cameron] Munster and [Mitchell] Moses do similar. Jack absolutely deserves that right, we’ll give him time to do that and then we’ll keep talking.
“There’s no question of coming back with an offer from us.”
Canberra Raiders star Jack Wighton will test the market with a player option in his contract for the 2024 season.Credit:Getty
Wighton’s agent Matt Rose is currently overseas and Furner believes a strong relationship with the pair will give Canberra last rights at a retention attempt.
Wighton’s current deal is understood to give him up until round 10 to trigger his automatic 2024 option.
As 2019 Dally M medallist and a World Cup winner with seven Test caps and 10 NSW Origin appearances, Wighton is easily the best credentialed playmaker on the market.
His 224 Raiders appearance also have him placed eighth on the club’s all-time appearances list.
Wighton is out suspended for the next two weeks for a high shot on Jackson Hastings in Canberra’s loss to Newcastle.
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