Sheffield Eagles have confirmed the immediate release of former Super League winger Ben Jones-Bishop. The 36-year-old only penned a new deal with the Championship club in December, tying him down until the end of the 2025 season.
However, that deal included a clause allowing Jones-Bishop to leave Olympic Legacy Park and the club have confirmed it has been triggered. As such, the former Leeds Rhinos man has called time on his Eagles career after making 92 appearances and scoring 60 tries along the way.
The news comes following reports that he could be set to join another Championship side for the remainder of the season. Love Rugby League have that story, with the outlet claiming a return to York Knights is on the cards for Jamaica international.
Jones-Bishop spent one season with the Knights earlier in his career before joining up with the Eagles.
His decision to leave the club will come as a disappointment for Sheffield, who remain winless in the Championship under new head coach Craig Lingard. Since the start of the season losses have come to Halifax Panthers and Widnes Vikings, but the Eagles did pick up their first win last weekend as they secured 1895 Cup progression with a win over Doncaster.
Whether Sheffield look to replace Jones-Bishop remains to be seen, but his absence will almost certainly be felt. A short statement from the Eagles read: “Sheffield Eagles can confirm that winger Ben Jones-Bishop has enacted a clause in his contract allowing him to leave the club.
“The 36-year-old joined The Eagles from York Knights ahead of the 2022 campaign, and he has gone on to score 60 tries in 92 appearances across the last four seasons.
“We’d like to thank Ben for all that he contributed to the club over the last few years, and we wish him the best of luck with his future endeavours.”
Jones-Bishop has spent much of his career in Super League, representing Leeds Rhinos, Salford Red Devils and Wakefield Trinity, while he also had a loan spell with Harlequins. He dropped out of the top flight to join York in 2021, though, before moving onto join the Eagles ahead of the 2022 season.
