Good Idea Or Bad Idea: Athletes That Don’t Use Sports Agents

Good Idea Or Bad Idea: Athletes That Don’t Use Sports Agents | Sports Takes & News | TooAthletic.com

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The financial empowerment that signing a nine-figure contract to compete as an athlete can be overwhelming. For some athletes, being able to negotiate their contracts without the use of sports agents can be a badge of honor, only adding to their achievements on and off the field. There is one high-profile NFL players who is now able to sign that mega deal every athlete dreams about, and is choosing to do so without the official advice of sports agents, choosing instead to hammer out the deal himself. So, are athletes who represent themselves as sports agents a good idea or a bad idea?

As the 2021 NFL season fast approaches, players from the 2018 Draft Class are now able to begin discussion on their next contracts, with those who have been successful earning huge raises from their pre-determined rookie deals they signed three years ago. One of those successful players is the unanimous 2019 MVP, Lamar Jackson, quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens. 

The #Ravens want to get a Lamar Jackson extension done before training camp. Jackson is negotiating without an agent, which makes the entire situation fascinating.

The NFL has never had a deal which would be of this magnitude without a certified agent. https://t.co/0PP0bFkd9w

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) June 22, 2021

Lamar Jackson, as some NFL players have before (see Richard Sherman), is opting to not sign with an agent, something that, while being a huge financial savings to any athlete uninterested in paying their fees, can create some issues. 

As Ravens’ general manager Eric DeCosta explained:

“All of these contracts, there are bells and whistles, and they’re all different in some ways, and they’re all alike in some ways. There are a lot of different ways to look at these contracts. There’s average. There are guarantees. There’s money in the first three years, cash flow and all these different things, time length and all of that. But in the end, they’re all very big contracts for outstanding players. They’re quarterback deals. They’re marquee players, and you know you’re going to pay a lot, but you’re going to get a lot in return.”

There are also two categories any contract negotiation has:

• Points of the contract that are most important to each side at the bargaining table
• Points each side is willing to compromise on

For Lamar Jackson, deciding if he wants a long-term deal such as the 10-year contract as Patrick Mahomes signed in Kansas City, or a short-term one like Dak Prescott signed in Dallas is one of those priorities. Another, of course, is money, with any player, especially the ego-driven position of quarterback, always wanting to be “that guy” with the highest number in terms of contract value, guaranteed money, or any of the other ways described by DeCosta. 

The fear that people like me have is when a player enters the negotiations and have an overinflated assessment of their value to the team they are dealing with or what their true market value is. The concern comes when they hear that first or second contract offer and finds it insulting … and perhaps takes it personal rather than as a starting point, thus making the talks about a new deal more emotional than they were before.

With both the fourth year and the team’s fifth-year option to play through before any extension would begin, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have plenty of time to work out the details of a new deal. As someone who worries about the style of play that Jackson brings to the field, if I was with the Ravens, I would be worried about signing that deal this offseason, leaving any contract talks until next offseason when the team will see improvement in his play, and make sure there is no falloff from Jackson’s repeated running instead of throwing for first downs.

By contrast, if I am Jackson, I would want to sign a new deal sooner, rather than later, perhaps even using the bye week next year to put pen to paper … but in order to do so, both sides must be in agreement on length, value and guaranteed money on the deal. Something we don’t truly know yet, but will likely find out soon enough thanks to the media poking around.

As for me, I would always prefer having a sports agent act as a buffer between players and management in sports, but I never deny that it’s a player’s right to represent themselves as their own agent in any contract talks. I only hope that any player does at least have someone they can talk to in advance of any meetings and, as in anything else they do with their careers, arrive prepared with their priorities and understand all the issues on the table. Remember, it took a long time for athletes in every sport to have the right to hire agents, and with good reason, because billionaires don’t get all those commas on their bank statements without screwing over a few people along the way.

So, athletes shouldn’t think of themselves as partners when at the bargaining table, because they are far from it, something sports agents can remind them about and take the passion out of the conversation and keep everything about business. I, for one, am interested to see where this contract negotiation ends up, and it will be fascinating to see if other players who watch what happens follow in Lamar Jackson’s footsteps or learn of any perceived mistakes after the ink is dry and the final contract is ironed out. 

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Good Idea Or Bad Idea: Athletes That Don’t Use Sports Agents | TooAthletic.com

The post Good Idea Or Bad Idea: Athletes That Don’t Use Sports Agents appeared first on TOOATHLETIC TAKES.

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By: Rafael Thomas
Title: Good Idea Or Bad Idea: Athletes That Don’t Use Sports Agents
Sourced From: tooathletic.com/good-idea-or-bad-idea-athletes-that-dont-use-sports-agents/
Published Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2021 22:41:51 +0000

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