In professional sport a player is only worth the amount anyone is willing and able to pay them. In a week where Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen "showed restraint" in agreeing to a six-year, $350 million contract extension, the news that Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown had signed a ten-year, $13 million deal to move to the Newcastle Knights drew an understandable, if disproportionate, amount of consternation from fans and NRL pundits.
Allen, who was voted the most valuable player in the NFL last season and is justifiably considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league, will be earning $5 million a year less than Cowboys' quarterback Dak Prescott.
In the NFL, some of the superstars are asking their managers to consider the overall salary cap picture before making demands on their teams. They realise that there is no point being the best paid player in the league if your salary damages your team's ability to be competitive.
Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has recently asked for his contract to be restructured in order to help his team rebuild after their championship streak was ended by the Eagles this year. These players are placing success above remuneration, but that is a lot easier to do when you consider the astronomical pay packets involved.
"I wasn't looking to absolutely kill them [Bills] at every chance I could, and I told my agent that," Allen said. "I was like, 'if it has any impact on the cap, let's figure out a way to not do that'.
"It didn't seem like from my perspective I was taking a whole lot less.
"But the way I make sense of it, when you start getting these fairly big numbers throughout the entire league -- it's weird to say this -- but what is [$5 million] more going to do for my life that I can't already do right now? It's not that crazy to me. I live a pretty good life. Got a house, got a car. We're good."
We have seen examples of NRL players taking less for the benefit of the club, certainly superstars have signed for less to remain in a competitive team. But can a young player really turn down an offer that secures his financial future, even if it does limit the club's ability to build a competitive team around him?
"Hello everyone, I have decided to take an opportunity that is best for me and my family," Brown revealed on Instagram.
Brown was already in the midst of a 10-year deal with the Eels, one that had escape clauses in his favour, and was being paid around $1 million a year. He insists the move to Newcastle was more about the long-term security of the contract, rather than the money on offer.
"Money has never really been a thing for me, it's the 10 years of security," Brown said.
"I just signed a deal with Parra before (in December 2022), and that was 10 years and it was purely based on security.
"I never wanted to leave and I had a few discussions with Parramatta and they put forward their best contract and the Knights' [offer] was too hard to turn down.
"It's the longevity of the contract, not so much the money, but it is a lot of money."
Brown's halves partner at the Eels, Mitchell Moses, recently signed an extension taking him through to the end of 2029, on $1.3 million a year. The struggling club is currently spending a large chunk of their salary cap on two players, one of whom is out injured.
They have a young rising star in Isaiah Iongi at fullback, who will need a pay rise should he continue his growth trajectory. They are in the middle of a rebuild where many of the other players aren't exactly performing at the highest level. Losing Brown may turn out to be a blessing for the Eels, certainly in the long term, as it frees up the money they need to build a more rounded team.
The Knights already pay fullback Kalyn Ponga similar money. There are four parts to a great spine and it seems foolish to pay such a large chunk of the salary cap to secure half of it. Already the Knights are set to lose key spine member Jayden Brailey who will take his hooking skills to the Raiders from next year, on better money.
Newcastle currently has Tyson Gamble, Jack Cogger, Jackson Hastings and Phoenix Crossland competing for positions in the halves. In Brown they hope they have signed a dominant No.7. The problem with that train of thought is that Brown has only played 10 matches at halfback his whole career, all in recent years for the Eels, and winning only two of them.
"I've obviously been a six all my career," said Brown. "[Playing No.7], I'm learning on the go, nothing happens quickly. I'm willing to learn. I'm willing to take on the challenge."
How many years will he be given to conquer that challenge before fans become frustrated, as Eels fans have, in his inability to dominate a game? Will the club realise that even the best halves will struggle behind a beaten pack, and that they don't have enough spare cash to strengthen that weakness? Or will Brown turn out to be the spark that sees the Knights rise again, combining with Ponga to silence the critics?
Ultimately, will Dylan Brown prove himself worthy of the biggest contract in NRL history? Will he help the Knights in their quest for another premiership or turn out to be a financial anchor hindering their chances of building a more complete and competitive team?
Time will tell, but it should not be forgotten, he is only collecting what someone was willing and able to pay him. It is up to him now, to earn it.