How to pick your agent.
The primary reason you hire an agent is to negotiate your NFL Player Contract.
General Information
Is geographic location important to you? Do you want your agent to be where you spend the offseason? With today’s technology, physical location becomes less important to some players.
Is there more than one location? If so, where are the others located?
How to Ask
"Provide the name of your firm and its address."
The agents experience is important to understand. If you will be working with others within the firm, you want to know their experience as well.
How to Ask
“How long have you been certified? How long has your current staff been in place?”
You need to know of any infractions and resulting discipline, from NFLPA, State Bar Associations, etc. If the answer is yes, it is up to you to decide if it is a deal breaker.
How to Ask
Have there been any grievances or complaints filed against you or any parties within your firm? (Yes or No). If yes, please explain.
Contract Info
Some agencies have agents who specialize in contract negotiations but are less involved with the clients’ daily lives. Personal interaction is left to your “lead” agent.
There is no right or wrong answer, just get clear guidelines regarding the responsibilities of the team you decide to hire.
How to Ask
“Who will be my lead contract negotiator(s)? Who will I be involved with day to day?”
Are you comfortable with an agent who has not represented a player at your position? Are you comfortable with an agent who represents only your position?
This question can be a good measure of an agent’s negotiating experience and it will also reveal an agent’s past history with players at your position.
How to Ask
"How many NFL contracts have you negotiated? At my position?"
It’s a personal choice if you want to be part of a big group with a huge industry presence or a small group where you won’t get lost or blend of the two.
Big usually means lots of relationships with NFL personnel. Small can mean lots of personal attention. Figure out which combination best suits you.
How to Ask
"What is the total number of clients you, or your firm, have/has on active NFL rosters?"
Does the agent’s track record match with his client’s success? Ask about the players who didn’t make it. The NFL is a short term business and not everyone makes it. It is not the agents fault if a player gets cut, but you want to know how they deal with players in that situation.
Make sure the agent is used to dealing with clients in your projected draft range when asking these questions.
How to Ask
"Who were your or your firm’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round draft picks in the past three years?"
Does the agent have experience with undrafted free agent rookies? This can be a key difference maker between a player making the roster, practice squad or being cut. Right place, right time or wrong place and no chance — talk these things over with prospective agents.
How to Ask
"Has your firm represented an undrafted free agent rookie? If yes, how do you or your firm identify which NFL team offers the best opportunity to be on an active roster?"
Successful agents often represent multiple players going into the draft and often represent multiplayers at the same position.
How many other players do you want your agent to represent? What’s your magic number? 2 or 3 might be fine. Is 15 too many? The point here is to understand the agent’s perspective on this topic.
How to Ask
"How many players do you intend to sign heading into the NFL Draft?"
Your agent should be skilled at negotiating the following:
- A signing bonus
- Paragraph 5 or base salary
- Roster, report and workout bonuses
- Incentives
Other factors to consider:
- Interview several agents — there are more than 850 certified agents
- Verify the clients represented by each agent
- Contact the NFLPA and/or use the agent search feature to ensure the agent is active and in good standing
- Familiarize yourself with the NFLPA Regulations Governing Contract Advisors and understand required and prohibited conduct for agents
For questions or issues related to your agent or contract, please email nflpa.agentservices@nflpa.com.