Injured Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson will be the first $2m man in the NRL according to high-profile Australian league commentator Matty Johns.
The former Australian and State of Origin playmaker said other greats of the game like Johnathan Thurston were past the point in their career when they could command that sort of money.
Johns believes Johnson will crack the mark when the new NRL broadcasting deal begins, and his contract comes up for renewal, after the 2017 season.
"If Shaun Johnson reaches his potential, which I think with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Issac Luke(at the Warriors) he will, given the fact his good looks, his marketability, I think he is a $2m player without a shadow of a doubt," Johns said on Triple M Radio.
But the Sydney Morning Herald disagreed, failing to list Johnson among their $2m man candidates who included Tuivasa-Sheck. The SMH also believed "code-hoppers" Jarryd Hayne, Sonny Bill Williams and Israel Folau might crack the mark helped by the introduction of discretionary marquee salaries.
