Carlton star Sam Walsh snubs free agency to sign longest and most lucrative deal in club's history

Carlton star Sam Walsh has knocked back free agency to sign the biggest contract extension in the club's history.

The midfielder has put pen to paper on a deal that locks him in through to 2034, an eight-year extension.

He joins Melbourne's Kysaiah Pickett and Fremantle's Caleb Serong as the players with the longest contracts in the AFL currently.

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AFL Media's Cal Twomey has reported that Walsh's extension is worth over $10m across the eight years, which would make it the most lucrative contract in Carlton's history as well.

Though with some players earning as much as $2m per season in 2026 and beyond, it certainly isn't an AFL record.

The 25-year-old was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, joining Port Adelaide's Zak Butters, Gold Coast's Ben King and Brisbane's Zac Bailey as the big fish available.

But now that Walsh is off the market, there will be even hotter demand for someone like Butters, who has been strongly linked with a return to Victoria.

Geelong had been linked to the Carlton superstar for a long time given he grew up in regional Victoria and played junior football for the Geelong Falcons.

The signature is a huge show of faith from Walsh to the Blues, coming off a tough 2025, where Tom De Koning, Charlie Curnow and Jack Silvagni all jumped ship.

"I love this club. I am a Carlton person and I couldn't be happier to continue my career here," Walsh told the Blues' website.

"This was obviously a big decision for me, but it was made so much easier because I know we are heading in the right direction. I make no secret of the fact that I want to win, and I want to win with the Carlton monogram on my chest.

"I truly believe that the key people we have here, and where our group is at right now, we are seeing a significant shift as we head into this next period of our football club, one that I know is going to be really exciting to be part of."

Walsh made the 2021 All-Australian team and won the club's best and fairest in the same year. In 2023 he won the coveted Gary Ayres Award as the best player of that year's finals series.

He won the Rising Star award in 2019, Mark of the Year in 2020 and has served as one of the club's vice-captains since 2023.

Walsh will in all likelihood play his 150th game for Carlton in 2026, coming off a 2025 season limited by injuries.