Tom Dearden signs monster new contract with Cowboys

Tom Dearden’s new five-year contract will keep him at the North Queensland Cowboys through the 2029 NRL season.

North Queensland Cowboys have just announced that their five-eighth Tom Dearden has signed a new five-year contract extension with the club. Dearden, who is 22 years old, is seen as one of the best young playmakers in the NRL. His new contract will keep him at the club through the 2029 NRL season.  

Tom Dearden signs through 2029 

Tom Dearden joined the North Queensland Cowboys all the way back in 2021. The Queensland native previously played for Brisbane Broncos where he played just 22 games in a little over two seasons at the club.  
 
Since joining Cowboys, Dearden has emerged as one of the NRL’s rising stars. He has played 58 games for Cowboys and scored 22 tries. It’s no surprise then that he would want to stay at the club. That’s how Cowboy’s see it at least.  
 
After it was announced that Dearden signed a new contract through the 2029 NRL season, Michael Luck, Cowboys General Manager, said of the new deal “We were always confident Tom wanted to remain part of our club because he has thrived in our environment. His improvement as a player has been considerable since he first arrived in 2021 and we believe he’s only scratched the surface.” 

Cowboys investing big in 2023 offseason 

Cowboys General Manager Michael Luck also spoke about how important signing Dearden down to a new contract is for the greater future of the North Queensland club.  
 
“This is a great day for our club, locking in one of the most talented young playmakers in rugby league to remain in a Cowboys jersey until the end of the decade,” said Luck. “We are thrilled to extend Tom’s contract to the end of 2029 and look forward to the success we believe is in front of us with Tom playing an integral role.” 
 
The Cowboys boss also revealed that this move is a part of a larger strategy for the club this offseason. “Today’s announcement finalises what we believe is a solid foundation for our club to build around with Tom, Scott Drinkwater and Reece Robson all locked into long-term deals,” Luck said, referencing the other new deals Cowboys have agreed to this year. 

Other potential NRL deals 

The news of the Tom Dearden contract extension serves as a major blow to several other NRL sides this offseason. Dearden, along with Panthers’ Jarome Luai, is one of the biggest names who could have agreed to a move away from their clubs this summer.  
 
The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that up to half a dozen clubs were interested in Dearden before this news broke today.  

Now that we know that Dearden is staying, we can start to look forward to the Cowboys 2024 NRL season. The top betting sites have them as outsiders to win the Premiership, but they are one the main contenders to finish in the top four this season.