These are the superstars best positioned to become rugby league's first $2 million man.

Either at the top of their game now or tipped to become the next big thing, Fairfax Media has assembled a team comprising the marquee men coming off contract in 2017. With the new broadcast deal kicking in the following year, they will be free agents just in time to benefit from the an increased salary cap that some predict could rise as high as $11 million.

Magician: Shaun Johnson of the Warriors. Credit:Getty Images

The identity of league's first $2 million man has been a major talking point after Gavin Orr, the agent who negotiated the unprecedented "lifetime" deal Daly Cherry-Evans inked with Manly, told Fairfax Media it could be just "two or three years" before stars began earning that figure in a single season. The fact NRL CEO David Smith also has a discretionary war chest at his disposal only adds intrigue to pub debates about who qualifies as a worthy recipient.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck would be the fullback in a team of contenders that would break the salary cap many times over, with Matt Moylan and Shaun Johnson likely to be the standout halves coming into the 2018 season. Should clubs instead look to invest in a marquee back rower, Jason Taumololo would likely head the list. Manly would do well to extend the contracts of the outstanding Trbojevic brothers, Tom and Jake, well before they come onto the open market.