Charging at least $75 per autograph is not exactly the best publicity move when you are a rook who has not even signed with the team who picked you in the first round. Someone might want to give that hint of advice to Brady Quinn, who refused to sign any memorabilia that was paid for with less than $75 at a Cleveland mall this past Saturday [Fans Complain When Browns QB Brady Quinn Charges $75 Minimum for Autographs]. Did he think that mainstream news entities (or at least the blogosphere) would not pick up on this story? CAA should know better than to let one of their clients look so cheep and greedy.
Today is the beginning of rookie orientation for the Cleveland Browns, which Quinn did not attend. Thursday is the beginning of training camp. I doubt Quinn will be present. His agent, Tom Condon of CAA, is looking for a better deal than the first two that were proposed by the Browns [Cleveland Browns meeting with Quinn’s agent]. I doubt that Condon expected to land in Cleveland on Sunday and turn on the news only to see his client being put down by the local media. Way to start on your illustrious career, Brady.
-Darren Heitner
11 replies on “Brady Quinn Signing (not with the Browns)”
Quinn is going to have to suck it up. He is not getting number 3 money, regardless of how good he is. And the $75 dollar autographs…that is ridiculous. You need to at least get some notoriety that is not based on your college career. Especially when other players will sign for less than that (or free), and they’re actually famous for the NFL exploits.
I understand Condon is trying to get the best deal for his client, but at some point, you have to cut your losses and take the best deal available, and not the deal you (Or Quinn) want or think you expect.
Thank God he is not a Raven!
$75 a graph might seem ridiculous, but the fans are the one that set the price. If there wasn’t value there, he wouldn’t be able to get that much.
Almost no NFL players sign for free, other than at practice/training camp, or if you run into them and decide to ask in public. If they’re having an appearance, they’re getting paid.
I understand the whole what the market is willing to pay argument, but as an unsigned and unproven rookie, it is a terrible public relations move to sign autographs for $75 a pop. Altough he might be able to get that much money, it is an ill-advised move, if he is looking to build any sort of good-will with his diehard “dogpound” fan base. Especially in the early running, Quinn should be signing autographs for free and building up his popularity. Instead, unsurprisingly, he is acting as everybody would expect him to act-like an arrogant rookie QB from Notre Dame who has an overinflated self-opinion and nothing to prove after a stellar individual college career. Quinn and Weiss were the ultimate choke artists and never were able to even be competitive, nevermind win, a bowl game or any other big game. Quinn is in for a rude awakening in the NFL. Every Sunday is a big game. If he couldn’t perform in the big games in college, how is he going to produce on Sunday? Along with Russell, I’m glad the Ravens didn’t get him either.
No one signs for free, period. If you want to be an agent and you have a Brady Quinn on your roster you’d do the same thing, otherwise you wouldn’t have Brady for very long.
That is the way the business has gone, the marketing guys at CAA understand that and are obligated to get Brady as much as possible, the fans set the value.
It might look like bad PR, but that didn’t and won’t stop the fans from shelling out $75.
Even if the fans shelled out the money, they are still complaining and he is building a bad rep for himself from the get-go. In Cleveland, that’s not a wise move before you even set foot on the football field. Outside of the whole business aspect of the signing (I do agree most players will not sign for free in a planned event), there are other factors which should be considered. Quinn is from Dublin, Ohio, a wealthy suburb, and is definitely not strapped for cash. Additionally, he is on his way to signing a nice deal. All I’m trying to say, is that he should be reasonable and act as if he wants to build fan support. Instead, he is alienating his own fans in a blue-collar city. The bottom line is the business is about money, but sometimes you have to weigh other aspects (non-monetary) for your client.
What fans are complaining? I haven’t seen any. I’ve checked out the Browns’ forums and I can’t find any fans complaining. They’re a bit upset he’s wanting, and likely going to holdout, to get top 10 money. They could careless if he’s getting $75 a signature.
I was going off the article linked in the original post and the comments underneath the article [http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/07/22/fans-complain-when-browns-qb-brady-quinn-charges-75-minimum-for/]. One of the post said that the proceeds were to go to charity, but the message was poorly conveyed. In any case, it seems as though your research on the brownies’ general opinion is more thorough than mine. The main point that I was conveying is as an agent it is always wise to consider other factors other than the bottom line. But generally you are right about the market controls the price the athlete can demand and an agent’s role is to get top dollar for his client.
[…] camp begins today at 3:30PM, and the only one not present among the Browns’ top picks will be Brady Quinn [Thomas, Wright sign… A good start […]
I checked out 3-4 Browns’ forums/message boards and really couldn’t find much about it.
I think it is a mind-shocking number, but at the same time that’s the value of it. I think $600 for an iPhone is crazy too, but it is a matter of demand, the demand is there, what is what they can charge.
But you can watch YouTube videos on an IPhone! I think that both Chris and Matt have valid points on the issue. Now get into camp Brady!