Canberra Raiders superstar Jack Wighton has left his teammates in shock as he confirmed to them on Tuesday afternoon that he would hit the open market come November 1st.
According to The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio, Wighton announced the news to his teammates, coaches and Raiders’ executives, to the surprise of all involved.
Wighton, who has spent the last 14 years of his career at the Raiders has never tested free agency before.
The 30-year-old has until Round 10 to trigger an option in his favour to extend his current deal until the end of 2024.
Raiders CEO Don Furner accepted the decision from Wighton but confirmed the club would do everything in its power to keep him in Canberra.
“Jack’s quite within his rights to test the market," Furner told News Corp.
“He’s been incredibly loyal to us for 14 seasons, he’s never once gone out and tested the market.
“He has our full support. He knows that we’re going to do everything we can to keep him and extend him.
“But being possibly his last contract, he has to do what is right for his young family and we fully understand and appreciate that."
It is reported that Wighton would be willing to leave the nation’s capital if he was offered a deal worth over $1.1 million per season.