A NEW year brings a whole new range of storylines in the player movement space, so what will dominate the headlines in 2026?

Some big decisions loom that will impact the entire competition, with the futures of Zak Butters, Zach Merrett and Sam Walsh - among others - to be big storylines to watch.

Join Gettable co-hosts Cal Twomey and Riley Beveridge as they look ahead at the stories that will dominate 2026.

The Zak attack

The future of Zak Butters will be the No.1 trade topic for all of 2026 - a top five player in the AFL who is very clearly considering going home. He's had a deal in front of him since early 2025, up to an eight-year extension worth around $14 million, which would have been footy's biggest ever deal if he'd signed. Port Adelaide will do everything it can to keep him, with the Western Bulldogs and Geelong the strong contenders for him in Victoria, while Hawthorn, Essendon, Carlton and Collingwood will all try for him as well. Butters is a free agent, but Port Adelaide will likely be able to match any offer for him and force a trade if he decides to leave, which will be crucial for the Power as they look to accrue draft picks to match bids on their 2026 draftees, led by possible No.1 pick, Dougie Cochrane.

Merrett's next move

Zach Merrett has done and said all the right things since landing back at Essendon, but there's little doubt his desire and desperation to get to Hawthorn last off-season is going to linger as a storyline throughout 2026. Merrett would only have one year to go at the end of the upcoming season, and the Hawks didn't bring anyone else in during the trade period. So they will be busy and who the Hawks target next year will be a significant watch as well, with Merrett expected to be a part of that. The Hawks picked up extra assets at the draft as they hunt a big fish in 2026.

Chasing Humphrey

Bailey Humphrey is already on the trade targets board at the Hawks, as well as others. The Hawks met with him last trade period, as did Melbourne and Collingwood. All three will be hunting him hard and it's easy to see other clubs, such as St Kilda, get involved in that chase as well. He will have two years left on his deal at the end of 2026 and if he was to look at a move home again, the Suns would be well prepared for it, compared to 2025 when it popped up late and they had a lot already on their plate. With his trajectory, you could easily see clubs offering six- or eight- year deals at $1.2m to $1.4m per season. It's not going to be a money decision, but he's had the pull to come home. Gold Coast will be doing everything it can to have him settled at the Suns. 

Free agent focus

There are four premium names who will become free agents at the end of 2026, with Butters, Sam Walsh, Zac Bailey and Ben King all coming out of contract. Beyond that, the depth of free agents probably isn't as strong as it was in 2025, but those four will be big talking points all year. Walsh has been in no hurry to get to his contract decision, and he will have some extreme offers. The Cats are already pursuing him actively and that has been the case for some time, and St Kilda will be in that market as well. He's a star and the interest in him will reflect that. Meanwhile, the queue for Bailey is not just out the door of the Gabba, it reaches the NSW border – there is just so many clubs interested in him. He's wanted to hold off and get to the pre-season before he gets into any discussions. Adelaide and Port Adelaide will use the SA ties that he has, and Victorian clubs are already weighing into the race, so he has a big pay day coming. Traditionally Bailey has signed his contract extensions in between seasons. 

Weddle's pay day

AFL.com.au revealed in October that Essendon had tabled a deal of at least seven years and $10 million to Weddle, and the Hawks star will wait until next year before turning attention to his contract decision. The feeling is he's more likely to stay than leave, but the reality is $10 million offers don't come up very often, so he has a big decision to make. Regardless of where he plays in 2027, there will be a pay increase for him. The other question is who else the Bombers get aggressive with if this one doesn't go their way.

Who will join the $2 million club?

It's not yet clear who - if anyone - will join the $2 million club next year, but no one at the start of 2025 expected Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera to get to that mark. Zak Butters will be very close, wherever he ends up, and while Nick Daicos has four years left on his current contract, he could be in line for a re-arranged deal. Sam Darcy is another who could potentially get close to that mark, although he has a couple of years left to go on his current deal as well.

Suns' forward squeeze

With Jed Walter out of contract and Ben King hitting free agency in 2026, there's plenty of interest in the forwards at the Suns, especially with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan arriving at the club and Ethan Read continuing to develop. Clubs are absolutely keeping tabs on Walter; Carlton would have sent Charlie Curnow to the Suns if it meant getting Walter, but the young Sun didn't want that move. But he hasn't chased a contract extension either. The Suns want to keep him, but West Coast will have a crack with his West Australian ties, Essendon will have a tilt too, while Collingwood has been planting the seed for some time. He was pushed out of the senior team at the end of the season, so the knocks on the door to him will be significant. And how much does his decision impact what Ben King does, and vice versa, in terms of what the Suns are willing to pay for their key forward group?

Tassie's top targets

This is go time for Tasmania. We know the list rules, we know the money they've got to use, they've got their list management team in place, they may even have a coach-in-waiting lined up as well, as Nathan Buckley gets back into the coaching fold at Geelong. They have met with a lot of AFL agents already, but 2026 is when they will begin meeting with AFL players. They will be launching into their 17-year-old access as well next season ahead of the draft and locking those players in. It's a big year for the Devils to come.

Eyes on the Pies

A quiet off-season one year often leads to a bigger off-season the following year, so there is plenty of focus on what the Magpies are going to do in 2026. The Pies were up to their eyeballs in the Matt Rowell chase before he re-signed. After that decision, which would have been a challenge for Collingwood to include his salary anyway, the Pies re-signed some senior players like Scott Pendlebury, Jeremy Howe and Steele Sidebottom. It's likely 2026 will be the last of their careers, so where does the Pies' pay go going forward? Who do they chase really hard? They will be on the attack again after a quiet off-season in 2025.

The superstar shift

There will be a storyline bubbling away somewhere about who takes the Merrett/Curnow/Petracca/Simpkin/Allen approach in 2026 and just says 'I'm out'. Nobody is untouchable anymore, so the watch will be on which player can have their head turned, hence why clubs went direct to Nick Daicos during the trade period, just to sense his appetite for it. Players may be slightly more cautious following the Zach Merrett saga, but we're seeing an emboldened new phase of list management by clubs with how brazen they become. And it's not just for the absolute A-graders, but every level of player. Does a club offer Sam Marshall a long-term deal to get him out of Brisbane? Does a club like Adelaide go really hard at Tom Powell as a player who is just about to hit his peak as a midfielder? We're going to see some bold moves this year so sit back and get out the popcorn.