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NFL Players Recruiting Sports Agents

NFL Agent Recruitment Strategy

With Malcolm Jenkins coming to an agreement with the New Orleans Saints late Sunday night, the holdout party of 7 dropped to a smaller table of 6.  Those remaining unsigned, along with their representation are listed below:

  • Aaron Curry, LB, Seattle Seahawks (4th overall pick) – Octagon
  • Andre Smith, T, Cincinnati Bengals (6th overall pick) – GMG Sports (Alvin Keels)
  • Eugene Monroe, T, Jacksonville Jaguars (8th overall pick) – 320 Sports
  • B.J. Raji, DL, Green Bay Packers (9th overall pick) – Athletes First
  • Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers (10th overall pick) – Maximum Sports (Eugene Parker)
  • Aaron Maybin, DE, Buffalo Bills (11th overall pick) – BEST (Blue Equity)

Creative Artists Agency logoCreative Artists Agency (CAA), the company with the most amount of first-round selections (9), has all of its clients in camp with Malcolm Jenkins putting pen to paper on a 5-year, $19 million deal.  While the rest of the agencies listed are hoping to get exorbitant contracts for their clients, to use the figures in their recruitment packages for the 2010 class of draft-eligible players, CAA can boast that not only did the company have the highest number of first-round picks, but got them all signed before other big companies like Athletes First and Octagon, small companies with 1 first-round pick like 320 Sports, and signed their boys for good money.  You better believe that Todd France of FAAM will be using the same strategy on the recruitment trail over the next year.

Which method will win out?  The agents who have their clients holdout/threaten to sit out a year well into training camp, or those who get their boys signed for good money and get their boys into camp before the middle of August?

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

3 replies on “NFL Agent Recruitment Strategy”

This happened a couple days ago. I tried posting it on the other article but for some reason it wasn't letting me so just figured someone else would. Aaron Curry signed a 6-year, $60 million contract with $34 million guaranteed.

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