Wests Group/Knights chief executive Phil Gardner says Newcastle should be aiming for the 2018 play-offs after confirming that NSW halfback Mitchell Pearce had agreed to their terms for a four-year deal.

The race to sign Pearce ended early on Thursday afternoon when the former Roosters halfback told the other two clubs with whom he had been negotiating, Manly and Cronulla, that he had accepted Newcastle's offer.

All that remained was for the Wests Group board of directors to ratify the contract, understood to be worth more than $1 million a season.

Wests' endorsement is considered a fait accompli, and there is a possibility that Pearce could be in Newcastle as early as Friday to meet his new teammates and face the media.