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First Round NFL Deals May Take A While

I’d like to think that there is nothing true about this post, but I am not naive enough to believe that it is far from reality.  The post was written by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.  He claims that the reason there have been so few 2009 1st round NFL Draft selections signing is because the agents for the players selected are in a battle to see who can one-up the other.  I have no problem if this is a plan to get their 2009 clients the best deals possible, but if the motive is to have ammo to fight other agents off in recruiting 2010 draft clients, well then I feel bad for their current clients.

Apparently there is a big battle between Athletes First and CAA, and both firms are waiting to see what Eugene Parker does with Michael Crabtree’s contract (pick #10).  The agencies with first round picks should be careful not to extend this process too long.  It is okay when a few players hold out of camp, but if practically the entire first round of picks is sitting on the sidelines, we will start hearing more cries for a slotting system like the NBA uses on first round picks.  And NBA agents often do not take a cut on the first contracts of first round picks.  NFL agents would lose a lot of sleep over that idea.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

One reply on “First Round NFL Deals May Take A While”

It makes me wonder if the players agree on being held-out. If that is the case, they are posing serious detriment to their careers. As we have all seen in the past, players who are late to their rookie camp do not turn out very successful.

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