The gun fullback was brilliant in the 35-31 win over Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, hours after his manager confirmed that the Cowboys would let him negotiate with other clubs for next year despite being on contract.
The Cowboys re-signed strike centre Jaxon Purdue on a four-year deal earlier in the week, with the likelihood that the 20-year-old will fill the No.1 spot if Drinkwater finds another club, most likely with St George Illawarra or Perth.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten was impressed with the way Drinkwater handled the focus on his future before shining against Brisbane.
"First of all, I would like to acknowledge how well he has handled the last 48 hours," Payten said.
"I was hopeful it wasn't going to break until after the game so it wasn't a distraction in his 150th game.
"The way he handled that and the way he played is a credit to him."
Payten said he was yet to sit down "face-to-face" with his star No.1 about the contract development.
"So I will make this comment: his management asked us if it was okay to negotiate with other clubs on Wednesday, and we gave him the green light," Payten said.
"I don't want to make any more comment than that until I speak to Scott face-to-face."
Drinkwater did speak to ABC Radio after the match where he opened up about what he called "rumours" about his 2027 exit.
"They came out Wednesday and we were playing Friday so I tried to turn my phone off and focus on this game," he said.
"I'm going to have to address the rumours and see what's going on. I'll get back to the family on the weekend and go from there."
Drinkwater set up Purdue for a 75m run of pure speed and evasion which revealed why the Cowboys had re-signed the prodigious talent.
"He is a fair athlete ... fair footballer," Payten said.
"I'm glad we have locked him away. What I love about Jaxon is how much he loves our club. It was evident in the way he spoke in interviews post his signing.
"It means a great deal for him to wear our jersey and our club was essentially established for that very reason, so the kids of North Queensland can play in front of their friends and family."
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