Bears pulling out all stops to sign Campbell as $6M foundation star

Mal Meninga and the Perth Bears have delivered Jayden Campbell a final-offer contract worth up to $6 million over five years in a bid to set the Titans superstar up as the club’s foundational playmaker.

The Bears are eager to find a poster boy for their expansion team before Christmas to use as a selling point for other signings, and Campbell appears to be the latest flashy player the Perth outfit has set in its sights.

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Campbell is off-contract with the Titans at the end of next year, which is perfect timing for the Bears with their inaugural season set for 2027. Gold Coast’s retention team has been speaking to Campbell since the offseason began.

Should the 25-year-old take up the deal, it would instantly catapult him into the ranks of the highest earners in the NRL, with Nathan Cleary ($1.3 million), Mitchell Moses ($1.3m), Kalyn Ponga ($1.2m) and Jarome Luai ($1.2m) some of the other playmakers raking in that kind of coin. Campbell has been making $700,000 a season on his current deal.

However, The Sporting Base has heard Campbell still prefers the Gold Coast, especially because of the long-standing familial ties built by his legendary father, Preston Campbell; the main reason he’s there in the first place.

The 25-year-old is also not overly eager to move to Perth, it’s been reported, midway through his 20s.

There’s also not a whole heap of money to be left on the table should Campbell take up the Titans’ offer instead, with his club already willing to pay him nearly $900,000 a season. That deal would then tick up to closer to $1 million each year once the salary cap expands in 2028 (a springboard move spurred on by the NRL’s next TV rights deal).

Through to 2031, it would cost Campbell in the realm of $1 million to stay on the Gold Coast over moving to Perth, but it boils down to closer to $200,000 to $300,000 each season and doesn’t mean he has to uproot his life.

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There’s also the new look around the Gold Coast digs Campbell may be enjoying. “We want to show them the club is moving forward in a really positive direction,” Titans football boss Scott Sattler told the Daily Telegraph regarding how he’s convincing players to stay. “I’m confident Jayden will see that when he comes back into the building.

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That new direction includes new coach Josh Hannay, who is plotting a Titans rebuild. Campbell remains at the heart of those plans, it’s understood, and has a key spot in the roster for as long as he wants to stay.

“We want him to create a legacy at a club that has been so close to him and his family,” Sattler said.

The Bears are also chasing Tyran Wishart and Hugo Savala should they miss Campbell.