REIGNING Peter Crimmins medallist Jai Newcombe has signed a monster six-year contract extension to remain at Hawthorn until the end of 2032, more than 12 months before his current deal expired.

The 23-year-old is now contracted for seven more seasons in brown and gold, after putting pen to paper on a deal that makes him the longest contracted Hawk.

Hawthorn list manager Mark McKenzie had gradually ticked off the club's 2025 contract priorities this season, including Lloyd Meek, Josh Ward and Massimo D'Ambrosio, before focusing his attention to Newcombe this month.

Newcombe is understood to have wanted to show his commitment to the club by re-signing a long way out and extending long-term.

Peter Lenton, from Kapital Sports Group, met with Hawthorn at the start of the year and has been working towards the mega extension across winter before finalising the contract on Tuesday afternoon.

"The idea was proposed for a longer-term option and skipping all that comes with free agency. When the club was open with that it was a pretty good feeling to be honest, even before any details had been worked out, to know that they were as keen to have me around as I was to be there for that long. That was a special feeling," Newcombe told AFL.com.au on Wednesday.

"It has been a great place to be the whole time I've been there. I have been very well looked after from the moment I walked in the door. It's been a seamless transition from working to playing for Box Hill to joining Hawthorn. It's been a great time for me. 

"The club is in a great position at the moment. We are playing really well and competing. Obviously the KCC [Kennedy Community Centre] is just around the corner as well, which is exciting. To know that I'll be spending a long time in there is special as well."

The Hawks have signed most of their established stars on five-year deals, including James Sicily and Blake Hardwick in recent years, while Conor Nash secured the same tenure during his free agency season.

A six-year deal is understood to be the longest ever given by Hawthorn to a current player – Josh Battle joined on a six-year contract – and highlights the club's faith in a player who has risen from the VFL program at Box Hill to now be established as one of the most consistent midfielders in the game.

Newcombe has barely missed a game since being selected midway through 2021 and is now clearly the best player selected in a Mid-Season Rookie Draft, racing to 95 appearances in the brown and gold.

The Poowong product has finished on the podium of the best and fairest in each of his three full seasons at Waverley Park, claiming his first Peter Crimmins in 2024 after finishing runner-up to Will Day in 2023 and James Sicily in 2022.

Newcombe polled 24 votes in the Brownlow Medal last year to finish ninth – after polling 18 in 2023 when he was named in the All-Australian squad – but still believes he has more improvement in him to entrench himself in the elite bracket of midfielders in the AFL.

"I've got plenty of improvement left," Newcombe said. "The best mids – someone like 'the Bont' [Marcus Bontempelli] – have massive impact forward of the ball. It's not an area I'm dominating in or known for at the moment. 

"I think I've got some strength aerially that I'd like to see come out a bit more often. I'm certainly not in the elite category of mids in the comp yet, so I'm still chasing them."

Newcombe initially joined the Hawks on a 30-month contract after negotiating his own terms before the Hawks selected him at pick No.2 in the 2021 Mid-Season Rookie Draft, before the AFL mandated only six-month or 18-month terms for mid-season draftees.

After inheriting the iconic No.3 Hawthorn guernsey in 2022, Newcombe signed a three-year extension at the end of that year. This time he has re-signed even earlier and will turn 31 when this new contract is up.

Newcombe could have commanded even longer deals if he tested the market, but never expressed any interest in assessing his options. He grew up supporting the club and wants to end his career a Hawthorn great.

"I grew up a Hawks fan and have always been very passionate about the brown and gold," he said.

"One-club player is definitely something I'm aiming for. I like the loyalty and respect side of things that come with that, so it's definitely something I'm chasing."

The longest current deals in the AFL belong to Melbourne forward Kysaiah Pickett (2034) and Fremantle midfielder Hayden Young (2033), while seven others are contracted for 2032, including North Melbourne midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke and Port Adelaide captain Connor Rozee.

Longest contracts in the AFL

Signed until 2032
Noah Balta (Rich)
Luke Davies-Uniacke (NM)
Connor Idun (GWS)
Max King (StK)
Aaron Naughton (WB)
Jai Newcombe (Haw)
Connor Rozee (PA)
Sam Taylor (GWS)

Signed until 2033
Hayden Young (Frem)

Signed until 2034
Kysaiah Pickett (Melb)