Brisbane veteran Alex Glenn admits he contemplated a Sydney move after Anthony Milford's lucrative Broncos deal sparked fears the NRL club couldn't afford to offer him a new contract.
But the 28-year-old Glenn has agreed to take a pay cut and re-sign with Brisbane until the end of 2019, saying he will be rewarded with a Broncos premiership.
The New Zealand international admitted he thought his options were running out at Brisbane after they announced they had re-signed playmaker Milford on a four-year deal, reportedly worth $1 million a season.
"It definitely plays on the back of your mind," said Glenn who will come off the bench in Brisbane's Friday night NRL clash with Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium.
"That's when I started getting nervous.
"It's always a tough period when you are negotiating and you are not sure what is going on.
"But the coach and the club were reassuring that they wanted to keep me so it was good to finally put pen to paper."
Glenn said he did not want to turn his back on the club that discovered him as a 19-year-old playing for Queensland Cup side Burleigh after taking a three-year sabbatical from the sport due to back issues.
In the end, Glenn knocked back big money offers from two Sydney clubs to re-sign with Brisbane on a deal believed to be worth $400,000 a season.
Asked if he considered leaving Brisbane, Glenn said: "Not at first.
"This club means a lot to me and I didn't want to leave.
"But with so many players off contract this year I had to weigh it up whether I was going to make the move to Sydney; it was nerve wracking.
"I am grateful the club wanted to keep me."
Glenn becomes the latest Broncos player to re-sign in recent months after Milford, Andrew McCullough, Josh McGuire and Corey Oates committed their futures to the club.
Skipper Darius Boyd is expected to soon follow.
Glenn believed Broncos players taking a pay cut to stay would soon be rewarded with a premiership.
"The group that we have is very strong and you look at the young fellas coming through we are going from strength to strength," he said.
"I do believe we can win a premiership. It's half the reason why I stayed here.
"I want to be able to look back at my career, hold my head up high and say 'I am a champion'.
"If I have to make a sacrifice to win a premiership I am happy with it."
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