The answer to this question will depend greatly on whether Haas leaves or signs a rich extension with the club.
If he does, it’s inevitable that Brisbane will have to let at least a handful of premiership stars exit at the end of next season.
CEO Dave Donaghy has admitted as much although there is no indication which players the club are preferencing to keep and which ones are already halfway out the door.
The Broncos have been dealing with a salary cap crunch for the past couple of seasons.
They’ve handed expensive deals to Pat Carrigan, Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam and Kotoni Staggs to name a few with Haas odds on to re-up with the club on a deal that could be worth north of $1.2 million a season.
That leaves players like Gehamat Shibasaki, Jesse Arthars, Billy Walters and Cory Paix unsigned beyond next season with a very real chance all three are wearing different colours in 2027.
Shibasaki and Arthars have already been linked to the Perth Bears.
The Broncos had the benefit of having Shibasaki on an incredibly cheap contract in 2025 after the centre took advantage of a pre-season train-and-trial deal and parlayed it into a Maroons jersey, a Kangaroos jersey and a premiership.
Shibasaki will no doubt feel like he owes Brisbane for reviving his career and is every chance of taking a little less money to stay, but given the salary cap pressures at the Broncos, a rival club’s offer will likely blow Brisbane’s out of the water.
It’s unfortunate for the Broncos, but it’s the reality of the salary cap and given his stellar 2025, Shibasaki deserves to be paid handsomely.
Arthars played the majority of the season on the wing but was dropped late in the year for powerhouse Josiah Karapani.
Due to the emergence of Karapani and the arrival of former Storm outside back Grant Anderson, Arthars will be up against it to play regular first grade minutes next year and in turn, will likely angle for an early release or play out his deal in reserve grade before heading elsewhere.
With Blake Mozer considered the club’s future No. 9, Paix and Walters may likely be forced out the door.
Unfortunately for Walters, he’ll only have a handful of games to play for a new contract, with a knee injury to keep him out for the majority of the 2026 season.
