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Contract Negotiation NFL Players

Brian Murphy Supplies Details Surrounding Harrison Smith Negotiation

Athletes First agent Brian Murphy represents players whom make up 20% of the cap value on the Minnesota Vikings’ current roster. That is an extremely impressive feat for an NFLPA certified Contract Advisor.

Murphy’s latest deal with the Vikings is largely responsible for a lot of the Vikings’ cap commitment. He negotiated the contract extension for Harrison Smith, which will guarantee the safety $28.578 against injury. The total potential value of the deal is $51.25 million over five years.

It is rare for agents to speak on the record unless they are touting one of their players or boasting about their accomplishments. Interestingly, Murphy used the signing as an opportunity to provide some insight on negotiation strategy. He stated the following to Ben Goessling of ESPN:

“When you first do a negotiation with a new person, you’re very careful in everything you say. You don’t give up an inch until you know you can get an inch back. It’d be like in marriage, you don’t say you’re going to take out the trash on Thursdays unless you know they’ll load the dishwasher on Fridays. As you negotiate more and more deals, my whole philosophy is, there’s no room for bluffing. There’s certainly no room for lying. … I think that (Vikings VP of football operations) Rob [Brzezinski] is very, very good in that, in terms of saying what he means. And we say what we mean. But it takes a couple negotiations to realize, ‘Hey, when he said this, he really does mean this.”

Murphy also provided specific details surrounding his negotiations for Smith.

“With Harry’s deal, they’re not starting with a super-low offer, and we’re not starting with an incredibly high offer. We trust each other. We both know what we’re doing. He wasn’t going to pay Harry $14 million (a year), and we weren’t going to take $8 million (annually). When I say $10 (million), I really mean $10 (million).”

“We analyzed 50 different cash scenarios, and then we compared those cash scenarios to the offers from the Vikings. It’s very disappointing to all the fantasy football fans out there, or even my brother, who’s a big football fan. He’s like, ‘So, did you tell them Harrison had more interceptions in his third year (than all but two safeties in the league)? I’m like, ‘No — we don’t actually do that.’ It’s like boring insurance work. We’re basically trying to figure out the way to maximize the probability Harrison puts the most cash in his pocket as early as possible.”

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.