A surprising frontrunner has reportedly emerged to sign Brisbane Broncos and representative centre Selwyn Cobbo for the 2026 NRL season.
A cornerstone of the club’s run to the 2023 NRL Grand Final, Cobbo has been one of the Broncos’ best players since his debut in 2021 and has gone on to play 68 matches and earn honours in both the State of Origin and international arenas for Queensland and Australia.
Able to speak with other teams from November 1, the 22-year-old is one of many players at the club who are off-contract at the end of the 2025 season and is set to demand a ton of interest from rival clubs.
Over the past couple of days, rumours have been running rampant on social media, linking Cobbo with a potential move to the North Queensland Cowboys as November 1 slowly approaches.
Now, The Mole from Wide Worlds of Sports is reporting that the Cowboys have indeed emerged as the favourites to sign him for the 2026 NRL season, which would see him replace the outgoing Valentine Holmes.
If he does decide to sign with the Cowboys, coach Todd Payten may decide to shift Scott Drinkwater into the halves with Tom Dearden, which would see Cobbo move into the No.1 jersey.
“If he was going anywhere it would make sense for him to go north to the Cowboys,” ex-Broncos player Corey Parker said on SENQ.
“If that was the case, he would be taking, I would have thought, Valentine Holmes’ money.
“That’s $800k to $900k. I’ve openly said if Selwyn Cobbo goes on the open market, I think he could fetch in excess of a million dollars.
“Now, whether they have that in the cap, I’m not sure. If you let some people go, maybe there is some room in the cap.”
This isn’t the first time Cobbo has been linked with an exit out of Red Hill.
Earlier this year, reports emerged that the Sydney Roosters were interested in signing him with the departures of Joseph Manu and Joseph Suaalii to the 15-man code.
Although it is understood that his preference is to remain at the Brisbane Broncos, there has been constant chatter that he is weighing up testing the open market, where he is sure to demand interest alongside fellow centre Kotoni Staggs.
The Broncos are also facing salary cap issues and are unlikely to retain both, as Ezra Mam, Patrick Carrigan, and Payne Haas are all on big-money contracts heading into the future – Reece Walsh is set to join them in the coming months.
Currently on $625,000 a season, Cobbo is set to earn a significant pay rise in his next contract, making him one of the highest-paid outside backs in the competition.
While he may potentially take unders to stay at the club if he receives a deal before November 1, the last time he was on the open market, half the competition was chasing him.
Able to play wing or centre with a long-term goal of moving to fullback, there is little doubt Cobbo would receive a ton of traction on the open market.
“I think one does have to go because you just can’t have all those players taking up that much cap space,” Parker added.
“Selwyn could go and I think he could get a million bucks. That’s not me saying what I think he’s worth.
“If he goes on the open market, given what he can do and how much of a player he is, and how young he is – the upside and all the above – I think he could go close to a million dollars (per year).
“If he wants to stay at the Broncos for less, that’s great. Also with Kotoni Staggs, if he stayed, that’d be unreal. I’m just not sure they can facilitate that.”