BRADMAN Best is remaining at the Newcastle Knights.
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The star centre has agreed to a new three-year deal which will keep him at the club until the end of 2027.
The 22-year-old had been mulling over Newcastle's more than $2-million offer in recent weeks but told his teammates and the coaching staff on Friday that he was re-signing.
Best's manager is also understood to have told the club in writing he would accept the deal.
Formal contracts still have to finalised and lodged with the NRL.
Best's commitment is a huge boost for the Knights ahead of the 2024 season and three weeks out from their first pre-season trial.
Wests Tigers had been keen on the NSW Origin representative and a deal worth $800,000 a season was reported to have been on offer, but after signing Penrith half Jarome Luai on a big-money contract this month they are understood to have withdrawn their interest.
The Knights, who tabled their three-year deal late last year, believed to be worth about $700,000 per season, have largely stood firm in what they believed was a strong offer.
No other clubs were reported to have been in the mix.
A Central Coast product, Best has been at the Knights since his early teens.
In his best campaign yet, he made 25 appearances last year, playing in all but one game, scoring 14 tries and notching 16 try-assists.
Always touted as a likely representative player, his form earned him a NSW jersey and he scored two tries on debut.
The Woy Woy Roosters junior has played 70 NRL games since making his debut at 18 years of age in 2019.
Best had stated his desire to remain with the Knights since talk about his future began last year and mooted late last year he would likely agree to a new deal by year's end.
"A decision will obviously be made. I don't really want to be in a rush, but I don't want it dragging on as well," he told the Newcastle Herald in November.
"Hopefully before Christmas. I think another two, three weeks, I think we'll have a decision before then because I want to go into the new year with certainty and my decision sorted.
"It's all in the works. My manager is dealing with that, the club is talking and I'm sure we'll come to an agreement."
