Ben Hunt Poised For One-Year Broncos Extension Worth $500,000
Ben Hunt is poised to sign a one-year extension with the Brisbane Broncos, a move that would keep him in the club’s halves picture for another season. The reported deal would force Brisbane to find another 12 months and $500,000 while it works through a succession plan already built around Adam Reynolds, Jonah Pezet and Thomas Duffy.
Ben Hunt and the Broncos cap
On Wednesday night, Pete Badel said Hunt would be doing a new deal with the Broncos in the coming weeks. Badel said Hunt had been expected to retire at the end of the season, but the 37-year-old now wants to play on for another 12 months and is not interested in coming off the bench.
That pushes Brisbane into a practical decision rather than a sentimental one. The club already had Reynolds set to call time at the end of the 2026 season, Pezet signed on a three-year deal starting in 2027, and Thomas Duffy added from the North Queensland Cowboys.
Reynolds, Pezet and Duffy
Brisbane’s halves map had been laid out around Reynolds, Pezet and Duffy before Hunt’s latest call. Reynolds is due to finish at the end of 2026, Pezet is lined up for 2027 after first opting out of his deal with the Storm and taking a one-year deal with the Eels, and Duffy has arrived from North Queensland as another option in the mix.
Brent Read said the club cannot pay Hunt half a million dollars and argued the Broncos have already moved beyond him as their halfback. Read also said Hunt should be kept as No.14 if the Broncos decide to retain him, rather than paying him to hold down the No.7 role he wants.
Hunt's No.7 decision
The friction point is simple: Hunt wants to play halfback, but Brisbane has already lined up its next phase. He finally won a premiership in 2025, yet the extension would put the club back into a cap squeeze while it tries to keep the No.7 role pointed toward the future.
For Brisbane, the immediate choice is whether to meet Hunt’s price and role demand, or use him as a utility piece instead. For Hunt, the next contract would extend his career by 12 months and settle his place in a squad that has already started planning beyond him.
