It’s strange to imagine Nathan Cleary in any other NRL jersey than a Penrith one, and while the prospect of it is very unlikely, a bombshell report reveals the star half could at least test the waters.
Cleary, who is under contract with the Panthers until the end of 2027, will be free to negotiate with rival teams from November 1.
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Code Sports journalist Brent Read revealed Cleary is leaning towards doing just that.
“I rang around about this today and the impression I get is people around Nathan Cleary expect him to test his value from November 1. Not necessarily to leave, but to experience or find out what is out there,” Read said on NRL360.
“I can’t imagine him playing for another NRL team. I don’t think he’ll play against Penrith or his dad but he wants to see what is out there and there are other codes. That’s what I imagine.
“Nathan spoke about it the other day and he said he’s in no rush which I think gave the impression he’ll see what is out there on November 1.”
Cleary is on the record as saying he’s “open to anything”, and given all he’s achieved at the Panthers, NRL legend Gorden Tallis says it wouldn’t shock him if Cleary wanted a new challenge elsewhere.
“It’s probably a 90% chance that he’s going to stay there but he’d be crazy to not see the other options given all he’s achieved and there might be a part of him that goes why can’t I try and win somewhere else,” Tallis said.
So, what sort of price tag could Cleary command?
As it stands, Kalyn Ponga is the highest-paid player, on around $1.4 million. Popular belief is that Cleary would smash that figure on the open market.
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“He’d be the first $2 million player. If he left Penrith, someone would pay him $2 million,” journalist Michael Carayannis said.
“He’d be the closest we’ve ever seen to the $2 million mark,” Read added.
Worryingly for the Panthers, Cleary isn’t the only player that is off contract at the end of next season.
The halfback headlines a strong list of 10 players, including Origin stars Brian To’o and Isaah Yeo.
“There’s no way Penrith will be keeping all of those players,” NRL360 host Braith Anasta opined.
Carayannis tended to agree, believing guys like To’o and Moses Leota would attract larger money offers elsewhere.
“Liam Henry and Scott Sorensen are leaving to Perth at the end of the year so yeah there’s a salary cap squeeze,” Carayannis said.
“You look at guys like Mitch Kenny, Brian To’o, Moses Leota and Liam Martin who have been well paid but probably haven’t cashed in as much as they could have… now they’re in line for one.”
LIST OF PANTHERS THAT BECOME FREE AGENTS ON NOVEMBER 1, 2026
Nathan Cleary
Isaah Yeo
Mitch Kenny
Liam Martin
Blaize Talagi
Brian To’o
Moses Leota
Paul Alamoti
Isaiah Papali’i
Tom Jenkins
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