NRL 2025: Jonah Pezet signs for Eels and Broncos, what does it mean for each team, talking points, burning questions, Melbourne Storm, contracts, signings

Jonah Pezet was the hottest halfback on the market, until a shock contract move was revealed on Tuesday.

According to CODE Sports, the rising star is set to link up with the Brisbane Broncos, but not until after a one-year stint at the Parramatta Eels.

His existing club Melbourne, plus the Cowboys and Raiders, were also reportedly in the mix as the long-term home of the 22-year-old, who had a clause in his contract that allowed him to hit the open market instantly.

Watch every game of the 2025 Pacific Championships LIVE on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Pezet stamped his mark on the NRL with a mammoth performance to down the Bulldogs in a qualifying final, proving he has what it takes to be a chief playmaker.

So with two new teams involved in Pezet’s future, and some questions lingering, how will his switch work and his future look?

HOW DOES PEZET’S DEAL WORK?

Pezet’s contract situation shapes as a confusing one.

It’s been widely reported that he had a clause in his Storm deal allowing him to become a free agent if Jahrome Hughes signed a long-term contract.

That happened and as such, Pezet was immediately free to leave the club on a loan or permanent deal.

He triggered the clause after Melbourne’s grand final appearance, for which he was only in the extended squad. N

ow, according to CODE, he will sign a one-year deal with the Eels.

Interestingly, if that contract was signed today, he would be unable to negotiate with rivals for 2027 for 10 days, until the November 1 free agency deadline arrived.

That’s when a deal can be struck with the Broncos, with the rising star set to become Adam Reynolds’ long-term halfback replacement at Red Hill after a pit stop in Parramatta.

Both Reynolds and Ben Hunt’s contracts expire at the end of next season, and while the former Rabbitohs playmaker will hang up the boots it remains to be seen if Hunt will.

The Broncos are Pezet’s long-term future and the Eels simply a stopgap — but Parramatta have bigger plans of their own.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE EELS?

It might look like Pezet is using the Eels for his own benefit, but it takes two parties to agree on a contract.

So Parramatta powerbrokers are playing the long game by signing Pezet for next season, joining a group of other talented youngsters who are developing into NRL stars.

Pezet will line up alongside superstar No.7 Mitchell Moses in the halves, with Isaiah Iongi, Ryley Smith and Tallyn Da Silva also set to feature in the spine.

The Eels showed immense improvement under Jason Ryles to close out the 2025 season and adding a player of Pezet’s quality will only strengthen them.

If they can carry their form into 2026, there’s a real possibility they could play finals and in doing so, their young stars will get invaluable experience.

But what happens in 2027?

Eels powerbrokers wouldn’t allow a player to come and go if they didn’t have players they believed were the future of the club.

Joash Papali’i shaped as a potential player in Ryles’ plans moving forward, but Pezet’s arrival all but rules him out of starting in the halves in 2026.

But for 2027, the first name that comes to mind as a star of the future is Lorenzo Talataina, who won the 2025 SG Ball Player of the Year award.

He was also handed a contract extension until the end of the 2028 season in September, with the young gun spending 2026 and 2027 as a development player before joining the top squad.

His form in the pathways system also saw him make his NSW Cup debut, and he showed he could well and truly match it as a reserve grader, playing five-eighth in the Eels’ preliminary finals loss.

With only eight NSW Cup games under his belt, it would be a big ask for Talataina to take another leap to first grade and become a regular starter in 2026.

So, with Pezet arriving, he gets another year to learn his trade under Nathan Cayless and Ryles will undoubtedly be keeping tabs.

Lincoln Fletcher is another rising halfback contracted with the Eels until the end of the 2027 season, while Joshua Lynn has also played a handful of reserve grade games each year since 2023.

WHAT DOES PEZET’S ARRIVAL MEAN FOR BRISBANE?

Simply put, it’s a huge get for Brisbane.

Reynolds is almost certain to retire at the end of next season and with Ben Hunt in the twilight of his career as well, the Broncos’ halfback puzzle beyond 2026 was cloudy.

Until now.

Fitting the mold of a traditional halfback like Reynolds, Pezet (age 22) and Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam (22) will complement each other’s games well.

Add in Reece Walsh (23) and potentially young gun hooker Blaze Mozer (21), and the Broncos’ spine could potentially be dangerous for the next 5-10 years.

While Broncos fans should be very excited about the addition of Pezet, it leaves a couple of young halves in Coby Black and Tom Duffy in limbo, with Black looming as the biggest casualty.

Black was signed as a project by the Broncos and he showed some promising signs in reserve grade this season, but for a path into first grade, he’ll likely need to head somewhere else. Touted recently as the future of the club, the Queensland U19 Origin star would have to show extraordinary improvement to be in the first grade mix by the time Pezet arrives, with the Broncos seemingly have taken the option of a much surer thing.

The upside: it’s not as though Black would have any shortage of suitors, and just look at what happened to Tom Dearden in North Queensland after he made the move having fallen down Brisbane’s pecking order.

Duffy is joining Brisbane this off-season after failing to impress at the Cowboys. He was thought of as an option to potentially replace Reynolds in 2027 but he may have to consider his options beyond this year as well as he’ll be stuck behind Pezet and potentially Black.

MORE NEWS