Cronulla have granted Valentine Holmes a release from his NRL contract so the representative ace can pursue a career in the NFL.

The Sharks released a statement on Tuesday saying under the terms of the release Holmes will not be permitted to play for any other NRL club in 2019 should his American plans not work out.

“I will be forever grateful to the Cronulla Sharks Football Club and the Sharks fans for the past five years of support. It was a special moment we all shared winning the club’s first ever NRL premiership,” said Holmes.