The NRL’s tallest ever player Ben Te Kura has officially been granted a release from the Broncos to continue his pursuit of an NFL opportunity.
Te Kura was given a provisional release in April to spend a six-week NFL training camp on the Gold Coast where he heavily impressed scouts with his size and athleticism.
According to the Broncos’ statement, Te Kura will “relocate to Arizona to continue his pursuit of a career” in American football.
“The Brisbane Broncos have released forward Ben Te Kura from the remainder of his current contract, effective immediately, to allow him to pursue an NFL opportunity in the United States in 2027,” the statement read.
“The 205cm front rower was initially granted leave from the Club’s NRL squad commitments in April, to attend a six-week NFL training camp.”
Te Kura landed in the USA on Thursday morning.
Sports agent Dwayne Budgen has been vital in Te Kura’s journey to this point and revealed to Code Sports that there are several interested teams.
“He is arriving in the US to undertake training with one or more NFL teams for them to ascertain what his potential is,” Budgen said.
“There’s still a long way to go, but they want to get a feel for him close-up and see if it’s worthy signing him up to be on a team.
“There is one team – I can’t name them out of respect to their confidentiality – that is particularly keen on Ben, and there could be interest from three or four other franchises.
“He is naturally still very raw, so he will be working with an NFL specialist offensive linesman coach to speed up his education.
“There’s a few options at play. An NFL club can sign him immediately, put him in their 90-man extended squad, and nominate Ben as an exempt international recruit, which effectively gives a franchise 91 players. Or he can be placed in the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, like Jordan Mailata, in January, which would give him another year to develop.”
Mailata is an ex-Souths junior who gave up on his NRL dream to try out for the NFL through the International Pathway Program in 2017.
He wound up being scouted by the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him the following year in the seventh round.
Mailata has since emerged into one of the game’s best offensive linemen, earning two contract extensions worth over $100 million US and winning a Super Bowl in 2025.
It’s Budgen’s view that while Te Kura has a long way to reach Mailata’s heights, the raw talent and size is there.
“Athletically, he’s every bit as good as Jordan Mailata, maybe even better,” Budgen said.
“Jordan is a rare beast, but Ben is faster and moves better than Jordan did at the same stage of their development.
“What made Jordan special was his mindset, intelligence and ability to learn NFL playbooks and methods quickly.
“We don’t know that yet with Ben, but he’s also smart, intelligent and willing to learn.”
Te Kura, who played in just five NRL games for the Broncos, thanked the club for it’s understanding.
“I’m very grateful to the Broncos for everything they’ve done to support me in pursuing an opportunity in the NFL,” Te Kura said.
“I owe the club so much for the faith they’ve had in me right from day one.”