As we near the finish line of the NFL Draft, the quarterback story lines are predictable. Sam Darnold is generally the consensus No. 1 pick. However, the Browns are leaning towards taking Josh Allen, the quarterback with the big arm who can’t complete passes — because they’re the Browns. Josh Rosen continues to get hammered, and some even thought by his former college head coach, Jim Mora, about his personality and off the field interests.
One story line that’s starting to emerge about a quarterback likely to be picked after those three is the agent-less Lamar Jackson and his management — or lack thereof. Jackson announced that his mom would be his manager, but not his agent. He’ll use a lawyer, or possibly the NFLPA attorneys, for his slotted rookie contract.
He’s making a mistake.
Agents and management, whether it’s a business manager, PR firm, or a marketing agency, are vital to an incoming rookie. They can all help guide the player through the often treacherous pre-draft process. Let me break it all down.
I’m very pro agent, and maybe that’s because I was a late-round draft pick who needed someone in my corner for my entire career. Your agent should be the number one person fighting for you in this industry. An agent uses his or her contacts with teams to talk to you up, hopefully tamp down concerns about anything that should arise, and use the media to influence opinions about you.
Don’t get it twisted. The media and agents go hand and hand. Agents give the top dogs the contract details. In return, the top dogs can show some love to their client.
Agents are essential to the pre-draft process for guiding their clients through the activities of the almost five months that lead to the big day. They help set up your training and send you to the right location to prepare for the workouts. If their client needs help preparing for the Wonderlic or team interviews, the agent will set up tutors or coaches to help.
Their job is making sure you put your best foot forward for the combine, pro day, and eventual meetings with the teams.
I had an injury to my chest in college, but it wasn’t documented. I dropped a bar on my chest while bench pressing early in September my senior season. I was so embarrassed, I didn’t tell anyone. But it was so painful that I didn’t bench again until January. By the time the combine rolled around, I could only do 17 reps, which wasn’t acceptable for an offensive lineman.
With my agent, we hatched up a plan to skip the bench at the combine and then get ready for pro day. In the mean time, my agent spoke to teams concerned about my strength level to assure them nothing was wrong. It probably hurt me I didn’t bench at the combine, but it was best I didn’t bench just 17 reps, which would have fueled speculation that I wasn’t as strong as people thought.
With the new CBA in 2011, rookie contracts are fairly standard. They are slotted, which means they are assigned a value each year based on where a player is picked. Teams and players agree to the amount predetermined for that slot. There is some room for negotiation, but it rarely happens. I understand why a rookie wouldn’t want to pay an agent a small fee, which is now closer to 1 percent for top prospects, to negotiate a contract that’s already been slotted.
Having an agent really pays off with your second or third contract. I spoke at an agent seminar this past week. There were four football players, three basketball players, and one baseball guy. I spoke about the complexities in a football contract compared to other sports, who have guaranteed deals. The basketball and baseball players were shocked to learn about roster bonuses, whether in March or the per game variety. Or an injury split. What about injury and skill guarantees or bonuses for certain achievements? Other sports rarely have these options in their contracts.
Having an agent is so vital in the NFL, for all of these reasons. There’s also the fact NFL teams will always try to pay BELOW market value if they can. It’s their job to acquire talent for the best price possible. Agents are able to navigate this behind the scenes, drum up interest in their client, and maximize their value. I know my agent did that for me multiple times, and he was worth every penny I paid him.
So why is Lamar Jackson making a mistake by not hiring an agent? For all of the reasons listed above. Jackson has question marks about his quarterbacking abilities, fair or not. It’s currently in the “tear down prospects” phase of the draft process.
There are also teams who might view him as a wide receiver (I think that’s foolish), and he’s doing everything possible to avoid being labeled a wide receiver. Jackson has refused to run a 40 at all, which feels like a silent protest against those teams who view him in that light. But that won’t stop teams from drafting him to play receiver if they truly wanted that. (though I don’t think many teams feel this way).
To repeat what I’ve said before, Jackson deserves the chance to play quarterback in the NFL. He played in the most pro style offense of any top quarterback prospect, so he should know what he’s doing.
An agent would be able to guide him through this process and be someone in his corner so Jackson doesn’t feel the need to tweet out misleading stats and hype videos about his quarterbacking ability. There have been reports that it’s been tough to schedule interviews, meetings, and workouts with Jackson because they are having trouble contacting him. That’s another huge issue. It’s hard to get teams excited about drafting you if you’re not taking their phone calls.
It worries me when I read stories, like the one from the MMQB on Tuesday, about his mom calling his college coach to remind him that Jackson was signed to play quarterback not kick returner. What happens in the NFL when Jackson doesn’t get his way? Does his mom call his coaches then?
One thing I appreciate even more now than ever before is that my parents let me fight my own battles with coaches, even in high school. When I had an issue with coaches, my dad would help me prepare to speak with them, and then I’d handle the conversation myself. It allowed me to grow, learn accountability and figure out how to handle difficult conversations. It worries me that his mom is so involved in the process. An agent is there to be the intermediate between players, parents, and the team.
If they’re concerned about the agent’s fee, you can negotiate a better one. The standard agent fee used to be 3 percent, but now it standard for a top prospect to give 1 percent of his contract to his agent. This is well worth it for a rookie who needs guidance through this journey.
Lastly, I didn’t need a marketing or public relations firm to me during the pre-draft process, but if you’re a top draft pick like Jackson, it’s a useful resource for capturing any revenue streams available now and in the future. Jackson is a Heisman winner! He should be endorsing products, and at a minimum he have a shoe deal, which he doesn’t seem to have yet.
I hope Jackson is a success in the NFL ... as a quarterback. He also needs an agent.