Brisbane Lions senior coach Chris Fagan has expressed concerns regarding the number of lucrative contracts being handed out around the AFL, calling St Kilda's aggressive approach to free agency in 2025 "a danger to the game".
Fagan's pointed response to the growing value and length of AFL contracts comes after the Lions offered star forward Zac Bailey a six-year extension on Tuesday, though the top 2026 free agent is unlikely to put pen to paper imminently as he considers his future in Queensland and awaits rival offers of similar weight from interstate clubs.
Bailey is certainly not the first player to have such a significant deal offered to him. In fact, there are currently 12 players signed on to deals that last until at least 2032, with Melbourne superstar Kysaiah Pickett signed to the longest, recommitting to the Demons until 2034 last June.
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Fagan said he was confident the club would retain their two-time premiership hero, but admitted the influx of sensational offers being tabled to players will make things difficult.
"I think he will stay. I suppose everyone's got a moving price, haven't they?" Fagan told AFL.com.au.
"I'm hoping those numbers we saw last year, via St Kilda, don't become a reality. I saw that as a bit of a danger for the game."
St Kilda unleashed their war chest of salary cap space to dominate the 2025 trade and free agency period, stealing Blues stars Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni away from Princes Park, while also landing emerging midfield talent Sam Flanders from Gold Coast.
Breakout superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera also recommitted to the Moorabbin-based outfit on a two-year deal worth $4 million, making the 22-year-old the first player in AFL history to eclipse the $2 million per season mark.
However, despite these signatures providing St Kilda a much-needed talent boost on paper to launch themselves into finals contention, Fagan bluntly stated that Tom De Koning was not worth his enormous price tag of approximately $1.6 million per year - or $13 million across his mega eight-year contract.
"I think the best players in the competition deserve to be paid the most money and that's not the case at the moment," Fagan said.
"That's not an insult to Nasiah. I think he's going to be a really good player and how far he goes I don't know.
"And 'TDK' has shown a lot of promise for a long time, but hasn't probably played up to expectations, and they're getting paid extremely well.
"I'd rather see the better players get all the big money."
Fagan is no stranger to contracts of such significance, however.
In 2024, Lions star Hugh McCluggage re-signed for Chris Fagan's side on a seven-year deal worth approximately $1 million per season, leaving him as a free agent after the 2031 season. According to GQ, that ranked McCluggage as the 23rd-highest paid AFL player during the 2025 season.
