Surely Brisbane gain something out of this, it doesn't really make sense otherwise.
Whatever they save on TPJ’s salary for the remainder of the season gets added to their 2022 cap. Basically any underspend this year is offset against 2022.
So, if they manage to offload TPJ and Milf for the last quarter of the year, they might save $250k on salaries this year. That then gives them an extra $250k added on to next years salary - could be the difference maker when chasing high value targets for next year.
This is one of the issues with the late deadline - top teams will go looking for talent from teams that can no longer make finals, and the bottom teams will be happy to offload high value players (particularly ones that are leaving at end of year anyway) to build a kitty for the following year when they’re back in with a chance. Essentially the bottom teams are better off writing off the current season and creating cap space for next year - creates an even bigger gap between top and bottom teams and really corrupts the integrity of the competition, as those teams who are scheduled to play the bottom teams in last quarter of the season get an even easier ride. Needs moving back to a June deadline ASAP.