Chiefs officials had on Thursday conceded they were comfortable with holding off attempting to sign Young, after learning the deal would likely not be allowed.
PNG had believed earlier this week they would be allowed to land the NSW State of Origin star on a $900,000 contract, after Canberra had tabled $1.1 million a season to keep him.
But that was met with rebuttal on Wednesday, when ARL Commission chairman Peter V'landys indicated to club bosses the Chiefs would have to go close to matching other offers.
PNG officials had then considered tabling an offer of $950,000 per season, but when told that would not likely be accepted by the NRL the move was put on hold.
Young had been due to fly to Port Moresby later this month, after being given by clearance by the Raiders to do so before November 1.
As recently as Monday night he had spoken glowingly of the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity", and was widely tipped to become the franchise's eighth signing.
There is still some chance Young could end up at PNG after November 1, if Canberra are unable to lock him down before then.
But the Chiefs are unlikely to go above the $950,000 mark, given the back-row talent on the market next year.
The bigger question, however, is what the Young situation means for rest of PNG's potential signings once they hit the open market on November 1.
Players' union surveys show that the main motivation for most players moving clubs is not money, but rather the environment they are either leaving or joining.
The key difference in the Chiefs' case is that if a player accepts even a slightly lower salary to go there, they will still take home more money given the tax-free incentives.
The other difference is that rival clubs are growing increasingly nervous, given the pulling power PNG have had even before November 1.
The Rugby League Players Association is understood to be watching with interest and want to continue to get an understanding from the NRL on how the market-value rule works.
The NRL's salary cap auditor typically queries a few deals each year, which they believe come in at under market value.
In order to determine a player's value, the NRL considers benchmarking for the best players in their position along with a player's age and other factors.
Offers already lodged with the NRL are also taken into account, with the Young situation unique in that Canberra have been the only side able to make one so far.
PNG do believe the offer they have put forward is fair, given Young will be 30 by the time he joins them and he currently has a ruptured Achilles tendon.
In reality, Young's value to Canberra may be greater than his to PNG's, given the Raiders view him as a future captain.
South Sydney were able to sign Jack Wighton from Canberra in 2023 for close to $250,000 less than what the Raiders offered each year, attracting scrutiny from the NRL.
At the time, Souths successfully mounted an argument that Wighton was being paid at centre rather than five-eighth and wanted to make the move.
Several big-name players could attract a wide range of offers this off-season, with Nathan Cleary and Sam Walker headlining talent about to become free agents.
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