The rugby league world was left in a state of shock on Sunday afternoon when it was revealed Payne Haas would be leaving the Broncos and joining South Sydney.
The 26-year-old was expected to remain in Brisbane beyond his current contract, but dropped a bombshell and decided to sign with the Rabbitohs for 2027 and beyond.
Haas – the game's best forward and arguably the best player in the NRL – will join the cardinal and myrtle for three years, linking up with some star-studded new teammates.
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Brisbane will lose their leader in the middle of the field, while the Rabbitohs add a truly once-in-a-generation player that puts them right into premiership contention.
Wide World of Sports looks at the biggest question marks after Haas' decision.
Why did Haas leave the Broncos?
The biggest question surrounding his decision is simply, why?
Haas has been at the Broncos for his entire NRL career to date, playing more than 140 games for the club and winning player of the year honours a record six times.
The front-rower just tasted premiership success and was seen as a lynchpin of the club's long-term plans along with Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam and Patrick Carrigan.
The indications coming out of Red Hill until the news broke was that Haas would be staying put for at least a further season, especially after his touted R360 move fell over.
So, why did he decide to leave the Broncos for another NRL club?
Money is likely a big factor as is the influence of coach Wayne Bennett, who gave Haas his first grade debut at Brisbane back in 2018.
Haas has played State of Origin football alongside Cameron Murray, Jack Wighton and Latrell Mitchell, while he also has a relationship with new recruit David Fifita.
As things progress and the deal is made official after the 10-day cooling off period, we will likely hear more from Haas about why he turned his back on the Broncos.
But for now, the biggest question mark about his exit doesn't have a clear answer.
Who will replace Haas at the Broncos?
The next question centres around Brisbane and what happens to their squad, now that their highest-paid and best player is on the way out.
The positive for Michael Maguire is that the Broncos squad is still one of the best in the competition on paper, even when Haas does leave at the end of 2026.
A spine that boasts Walsh, Mam, Jonah Pezet and young gun Blake Mozer long-term is something most rival teams would be highly envious of.
Add in the likes of Carrigan and Xavier Willison in the middle with Kotoni Staggs and Deine Mariner out wide and there's still plenty to like about the roster.
The club should have also some salary cap space freed up if Adam Reynolds finishes his career at the end of 2026 and fellow veteran Ben Hunt won't be far behind him.
But the truth is, Haas will leave a gaping hole in their side and it's going to be borderline impossible to replace the NSW and Samoan representative.
Looking at elite-level forwards off-contract for next season, it's slim pickings for the Broncos and they might be better served waiting until November this year when the likes of Moeaki Fotuaika, Jeremiah Nanai and Spencer Leniu become available.
Will the Rabbitohs lose players for Haas?
Whenever a powerhouse club signs a superstar like Haas, eyebrows are immediately raised and question marks begin as to how they can afford it.
South Sydney have some of rugby league's most high-profile players on their books for 2027 and beyond, including the aforementioned Murray and Mitchell who are both on salaries in excess of $1 million per season at Redfern.
Brandon Smith, Campbell Graham, David Fifita, Jack Wighton and Jai Arrow are also signed for next season, putting a spotlight on the club's salary cap.
However, the Bunnies did free up some room when Keaon Koloamatangi declared he would join the Dragons on a five-year deal worth $5 million for next year, while it's widely expected that Cody Walker will hang up the boots at the end of 2026.
Haas' arrival will no doubt lead to some changes and the Rabbitohs will need to move some pieces of the puzzle around to accommodate his arrival.
But when someone of his calibre becomes available and wants to continue his career at your club, it would be silly not to make it happen.
Could this extend Wayne Bennett's career?
While it hasn't been confirmed as such, there's absolutely no doubting that Bennett played a huge role in the Rabbitohs being able to lure Haas down to Sydney.
The pair have history together from their time at the Broncos but at 76 years of age, time is winding down on the legendary coach's career.
Bennett is currently signed until the end of 2027, but bringing a guy like Haas into the fold and only coaching him for one season doesn't quite add up.
He had been linked with a potential move to the PNG Chiefs when they join the NRL for the 2028 season, but the Rabbitohs have already moved to secure Bennett's services beyond his current deal and Haas coming to the club will only boost that.
The most likely scenario would see Bennett extending for an extra year and taking the Craig Bellamy approach, waiting to see how things pan out beyond that.
But if anything can keep Bennett at the helm towards his 80th birthday, having players like Haas, Mitchell, Murray and Fifita at his disposal could do the trick.
Could the Broncos release Haas early?
This feels very unlikely, unless there is more than meets the eye to his impending exit and there's a sense of disgruntlement from either the Broncos or Haas.
If it got to a point where Haas seeing out his contract was untenable, it could set in motion a ripple-effect of him joining the Rabbitohs this year and Koloamatangi making his way down to Wollongong a year early to join the Dragons for 2026.
Stranger things have happened in rugby league.
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