Canterbury hooker Michael Ennis says "nothing has changed" since he agreed to a new three-year deal with the NRL club, despite the seismic overhaul of Newcastle.

The Bulldogs were forced to deny reports Ennis wanted to link with supercoach Wayne Bennett at the club where his NRL career began on Wednesday, declaring to new Knights owner Nathan Tinkler that the NSW representative was going nowhere.

Ennis played under Bennett at Brisbane between 2006-08 before linking with Canterbury, who announced he would stay until the end of 2014 just last month.

Reports suggested the 27-year-old was yet to sign his contract with the Dogs or has a get-out clause.

"I have agreed to extend my stay with the Bulldogs recently, nothing has changed," Ennis said in the Bulldogs statement.

"I have not spoken with Newcastle since leaving the club many years ago."

While Ennis' comments did not confirm he had put pen to paper, the club appeared to do so.

"The Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs can confirm that Michael Ennis is signed to the club through to the end of the 2014 National Rugby League season," the statement read.

Chief executive Todd Greenberg added: "Michael Ennis is highly regarded at the Bulldogs.

"We see him as a future leader and a long-term player with the club."

Ennis and Bulldogs team-mate Jamal Idris, who is heading to Gold Coast, may not be part of the new era at the Knights but St George Illawarra fullback Darius Boyd, Cronulla prop Kade Snowden and Titans utility Greg Bird have all been linked to the club.

Snowden's offer reportedly exceeds Bennett's $300,000 limit on props while negotiations with off-contract Knights stars including Isaac De Gois and Junior Sa'u are in limbo.

It's all enough to have the Newcastle players on edge.

"For every player coming off contract, you've got to perform to re-sign at a club or gain a contract anywhere," captain Kurt Gidley said.

"Certainly when a new coach is coming in of the calibre of Wayne Bennett, it probably gives you a bit more spark to perform on the field."

A chief executive is also to be appointed with Russell Edwards, a former Knights marketing manager and the brother of Tinkler Sports Group's Ken Edwards and former Broncos boss Shane Edwards, the latest to be linked to the job.

Meanwhile, Bennett's son-in-law Ben Ikin confirmed he was offered a job in property by Tinkler and knocked it back.

"I took a phone call from Nathan about four weeks ago and I'm still trying to convince myself it was all about me and my property background it had nothing to do with Wayne," Ikin told the Austereo network.

" ... But for the next two hours I drank coffee and talked footy with this bloke and I got a snapshot of the kind of man he is.

" ... Another thing that attracted Wayne up to the Knights ... it's his philanthropic cause to give back to Newcastle through sport."

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