Pezet has accepted a redundancy following another restructure of Knights' staff by Wests Group but denies he has been made a scapegoat following the messy departure of former coach Nathan Brown.

It is the second time within the space of 12 months the Knights have parted company with their recruitment boss after Darren Mooney left at the end of the 2018 season.

McKinnon will step into the senior recruitment role after 12 months as fulltime junior recruitment manager.

Pezet, who has been at the club for the past eight years, was told on Friday he was out of a job. But he claimed he hasn't been sacked and the move didn't come as a shock.

"I'm all good - there are no dramas," he told the Newcastle Herald.

"Phil [ Knights CEO Gardner] and I have been talking about it for some time. He just said to me that now that everything is sorted and the club's in a good position, he'd help me transition into something else. He's been really good. I'm actually looking forward to having a break and doing something else.

"I've been at the club for eight years and like I said, the club is in a really good position staff-wise and with the roster. There is not too much left to do for next season."

Pezet's departure comes after he copped plenty of criticism for his role in Brown's demise and the club's handling of the rumoured secret negotiations that led to the appointment of Adam O'Brien.

Club legend Andrew Johns took aim at Pezet when he criticised the club on Channel Nine for its handling of Brown's demise.

"The name that keeps popping up is Troy Pezet," Johns said at the time. "I don't know what qualifications he's got or where he's come from, but his name keeps popping up in this."

Pezet's future at the club has been the subject of quiet speculation for some time with his relationship with Brown and other staff breaking down last season. Gardner said it was his decision alone to make the change.

"We are restructuring. We did one at the end of last year and we are doing another one this year and under that restructure, a few people are taking redundancies because it's in their best interest to do so and that is where Pezzy sits," he said.

Gardner has enormous confidence in McKinnon.

"He is a wonderful young man," he said. "He's got high character, great knowledge of the game and great connections. He will be fantastic for us and we'll put some support people around him to make sure we have boots on the ground."

Meanwhile, the NRL will confirm its 2020 schedule on Tuesday.

The Herald understands Newcastle will be scheduled home games against the Warriors, Cowboys, Panthers, Dragons, Sharks, Rabbitohs, Storm, Titans, Broncos, Tigers, Sea Eagles and Bulldogs.

The clash with the Cowboys, in round four, will be a Friday 6pm fixture. All of Newcastle's remaining home games will be Saturdays or Sundays. The Knights will play two Thursday night games in Sydney, against Manly and the Roosters.

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