Sydney Roosters skipper James Tedesco has reportedly sealed his future, with the representative fullback signing a new deal in what could be his last before hanging up the boots.
The 31-year-old will enter his 14th NRL season – eighth season with the Roosters – next year and the final season of his current contract as he comes to the backend of his playing career.
A former captain of the Australian Kangaroos and NSW Blues, he was overlooked this year in favour of Penrith Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards, but that didn’t stop him from having another year.
In 25 matches, he scored 17 tries, provided 24 try assists, made 162 tackle busts and 24 line breaks and averaged just shy of 200 running metres per outing.
After being in the race with Jahrome Hughes for the 2024 Dally M Medal, Tedesco has signed a one-year extension with the Roosters, keeping him there until the end of the 2026 season, per The Daily Telegraph.
It is understood that an official announcement from the club is imminent.
On a salary of around $1.1 million for next season, the extension is set to see him remain one of the game’s highest-paid players and will likely see him retire wearing the red, white and blue colours.
“He’ll start almost exactly the same time (as last year) a few weeks before Christmas,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
“I think we saw the physical state he was in then, and he’s as focused and as driven as ever.”
The re-signing comes as they will be without Joseph Manu, Joseph Suaalii, Terrell May, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Luke Keary and Sitili Tupouniua, who have left to join rival NRL teams, made the move overseas or switch codes to rugby union.
Having secured Tedesco, the Roosters will now likely shift their attention to extending the contracts of youngsters Tyler Moriarty and Robert Toia, who are seen as the future of the club but have yet to register an NRL first-grade appearance.
