Newcastle-bound playmaker Dylan Brown has revealed that his 10-year, $13 million deal with the Knights does not include the same player options that allowed him to opt out of his contract with the Parramatta Eels.
Brown will join the Knights in 2026 after deciding against triggering a clause in his Eels deal that would have seen him stay at the club until 2031.
Brown couldn’t turn down the most lucrative contract in the history of the sport, and admitted there was no option for him – or the Knights – to wriggle out of the deal before its 10-year expiration.
“I’m sure Newcastle have seen the dramas it put me in with Parra,” Brown said. “They didn’t think about that. I’m locked in for 10 years.”
The Eels No.6 sat down with this masthead at his western Sydney home a week after news of his forthcoming departure broke, opening up on the deal that has divided rugby league.
He said the 10-year guarantee was what swayed him towards joining the Knights, but understood why the Eels weren’t able to make such a lengthy offer.
“I didn’t want to leave. Parra is my home,” Brown said.
Dylan Brown decided against triggering a clause in his Eels deal that would have seen him stay at the club until 2031.Credit: Getty/Michael Howard
“I was very open and transparent with Parra as to what Newcastle were offering me. I’m 25 now. This is the perfect time for me to set my future up. I wanted to stay at Parra for longer, but they couldn’t do that. They couldn’t match it. Even though they tried, their vision was different to the Newcastle Knights. Their vision is what entertained me more. The money is obviously a bonus to that, but the 10 years was probably the biggest reason I signed.
“I am never upset with Parra. I know they did what they could for what they were dealing with. I know I was injured last year and [that was] probably a big factor in what they were thinking. Ten years is a long time. For Newcastle to do that, they’ve put a lot of faith in me. I’m very grateful for that.”
Brown’s contract saga started in the off season when his management had emailed rival clubs seeking expressions of interest, as revealed by this masthead.
Brown said he was aware his managers were going to test the market but thought it was simply an opportunity to leverage an even longer-term deal with the Eels.
“I spoke to my managers about being on the open market and I wasn’t interested,” Brown said.
“I obviously had that clause there, but never once did I think I’d be going somewhere else. I said to my managers, the market is there to be tested, but I’m happy at Parramatta. I said, ‘Go to work, do your thing’. The clause is there, but I genuinely thought nothing was going to come up.
Dylan Brown is off to the Knights in 2026.Credit: Sam Mooy
“I thought I could make my deal better, maybe get more years out of Parramatta, which is what I wanted. Then the Knights came along with a deal that was just life-changing and couldn’t turn down. I had to reshape my thinking and do what’s best for my family, not what’s best for me.”
The criticism from fans and media alike has largely been aimed at the Knights. Few have taken issue with Brown accepting the deal, although he’s had to listen to some of the greats of the game, including Knights legend and immortal Andrew Johns, saying Newcastle have overspent on him.
“One hundred per cent I hear it,” Brown said. “It’s a decision the Newcastle Knights have made and put in front of me. They obviously know what they’re doing. They have their own reasons. I feel like everything I have done up until now has put myself in a position to take that deal. Some people say it’s an over-investment or a silly decision. I hear everything really. It’s just what I choose to accept or ignore. I try and look at the positives. Obviously, I read the negative stuff, too.
The Knights are flying high at the top of the table with back-to-back wins to start the year but even the most one-eyed fan would struggle to consider this team a chance of winning a premiership in 2025.
Brown, though, thinks he can lead the Knights to a title during his tenure.
“I wouldn’t go there if I didn’t think that,” he said. “The team has some guns there. They’ve got NSW players, they’ve got everything. Kalyn Ponga is a big deal as to why I went there. Having someone out the back of his calibre is ridiculous. He’s one of the best players in the game and he shows that every week.
“Right now, no, I’m not a seven, I’m a six. I’ve always played six up until now. The number isn’t something I went up there for. I’m my own player and they’ve spoken to me about that. They’re willing to take me for what I am now. We’ll deal with things in the preseason, but changes might need to happen. I actually enjoy having more of the ball as to what I usually have now at the moment. Last year I got a bit of a glimpse of that with Mitchell [Moses] out.”
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