Victorian clubs have “indicated” they’re prepared to pay $18 million over 10 years to try and secure Eagles prodigy Harley Reid, according to Herald Sun reporter Jon Ralph.
It’s believed West Coast would need to hand Reid a fourth-year deal worth as much as $2 million — but are currently only willing to offer $1.5 million — to convince the former No. 1 pick to re-sign on his current mandatory three-year contract until 2026.
The Eagles are working with Reid’s management to try and get the 19-year to extend on his current deal, but under new rules, the club can’t rework his contract.
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As such, West Coast is willing to spend up on his salary in year four given it’d compensate for him being on a base salary in his first three seasons.
Reid is reportedly in no rush to re-sign with the potential of his price only increasing amid his current trajectory and enormous upside.
“Harley Reid can accept the biggest deal in football history if he wanted to in three years,” Ralph said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle.
“There’s a lot of talk about that fourth-year deal … that has to compensate him for being basically screwed over for those first three years of a mandatory three-year deal.
“I think the expectation is if (the Eagles) are to re-sign him, it would be at $2 million, that’s the deal to compensate him.
“Victorian clubs have indicated to his management they would be prepared to go $18 million over 10 years.”
While Ralph acknowledged the lucrative sum might feel like overs, he pointed out that the salary cap has only increased since the likes of Dustin Martin (seven years at north of $1 million per season) Buddy Franklin (nine years at $10 million total) signed massive deals over the last decade.
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“I still think he doesn’t want to do that (sign with a Victorian club at the end of 2016),” Ralph added.
“The smart option is for him to get financial security and tuck the fourth year in. He’ll earn about $3 million over four years, as he should. Then you get the massive payday at West Coast or you consider the rival offers.”
Asked by fellow Herald Sun journalist Jay Clark which Victorian club he thinks will “have the biggest crack” at trying to land Reid, Ralph responded: “Essendon always has the biggest crack.”
Reid trained briefly with Essendon as part of a club experience program during his 2023 draft year.
The Herald Sun reports Reid is being paid $130,000 plus $4,000 per game in 2024. However after being suspended, he’s now ineligible for the Rising Star and Brownlow Medal to stop him from earning lucrative bonuses.
If Reid plays 18 plus games this season (currently on 11 with nine rounds remaining), his base for 2025 increases by $60,000, with the potential for him to earn as a much as $300,000.