The competition for Brisbane Broncos player Kotoni Staggs is expected to include the Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles.

The center may not be eligible to negotiate until November 1 of this year because he is not off-contract until the end of 2025, but that hasn’t stopped rumors that he would be actively pursued when that date arrives.

Although it is unlikely, Brisbane would certainly like to lock Staggs up before November 1.

The team led by Kevin Walters is struggling with wage cap issues after recently re-signing Payne Haas, Ezra Mam, Jordan Riki, and Brendan Piakura, as well as having long-term contracts with players like Deine Mariner and Patrick Carrigan.

In the upcoming weeks and months, Brisbane will also need to decide how to handle the contract of star fullback Reece Walsh of the Queensland State of Origin, who, like Staggs, is out of contract at the end of 2025.

Given that Walsh is said to have already agreed to terms on a contract that is estimated to be worth more than $1 million per season, it is unlikely that he will make it to the November 1 deadline.

may be more than they can afford, as per News Corp’s story that the Manly Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters will express interest.

At the end of this season, the Roosters will lose Joseph Manu and Joseph Suaalii from their backcourt, and Daniel Tupou’s possible retirement is still on the table.

Billy Smith, an outside back, will immediately fit into the best 17, but with so few players available for 2024, it might be necessary to wait a year for a standout replacement like Staggs.

Josh Schuster’s future with Manly is uncertain, and they will certainly have to make changes to their outside back lineup in the near future.

The Dolphins are the other team rumored to be in the running for the star center, but reports from that team are conflicting as some speculate they may withdraw because they already signed Herbie Farnworth from the Broncos at the end of 2023 and have a glut of backline players vying for playing time.

It’s unclear which deal Staggs would choose over his next one.