Roosters supremo Nick Politis has declared Sam Walker’s time at the club is “all over”.
The Walker saga has dominated headlines since the Tricolours made the shock decision to withdraw their contract extension offer, with Politis the man who made the final call.
In a meeting on Monday, the Roosters reportedly tabled a fresh three-year deal worth $1.1 million for 2028, $1.2m for 2029 and $1.3m for 2030 according to Code Sports.
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The Roosters were reportedly confident, until Walker’s camp held concerns regarding his salary in 2028 and 2029 — requesting a $1.3 million annual salary or an increase of $300,000 on the base package.
Politis, however, believed Walker’s management had agreed to the terms of their offer, leading him to instruct recruitment chief Joel Carbone to withdraw the contract.
Now the Tricolours chairman has broken his silence on the ugly debacle.
“We are moving on,” Politis told CODE Sports.
“Am I happy? Of course not.
“The plan was to keep him at the Roosters for life. It’s sad, but we gave Sam our best offer.”
It was only just over three weeks ago that Walker played a crucial role in the Roosters’ premiership, beating the Knights 19-18 in the 2026 grand final.
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The 24-year-old reportedly had a desire to remain at the club he made his debut at in 2021, informing his management prior to Monday’s contract fallout he wanted to strike a deal.
Walker reportedly also wasn’t considering negotiating with rivals, hopeful his extension would be done finalised once his Kangaroos commitments came to an end.
“I’ve spoken to Sammy,” Politis said.
“It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t reach an agreement.
“Sam is a great kid and a great person, but for some reason it hasn’t worked out. I want to wish him all the best going into the future.”
Walker remains contracted with the Roosters for the 2027 season, but he will kick-off negotiations with rival clubs come November 1.
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It remains to be seen if he will be at the Tricolours next year, with the club reportedly set to give Toby Rodwell first crack in the No.7 jersey alongside emerging star Hugo Savala.
The Chiefs loom as the obvious landing spot for Walker given their tax-free war chest available to recruit players for their debut 2028 season.
Meanwhile, a player swap with the Cowboys has been floated, with rumblings Tom Dearden has a desire to move to Sydney failing to fade away.
Elsewhere, Walker has been linked with a shock move to the 15-man code ahead of the 2027 World Cup.