The NFL Agent Profession: Industry Calendar, Networking, and the CBA

Stadium Renovations and Classroom History

• The speaker notes that the Duncan Student Center and the additions to the stadium (Duncan and O'Neil) were built in $2017$ as part of a major renovation.
• The current classroom building was considered "state of the art" when the speaker was a freshman at Notre Dame, though it is now viewed as an older structure on campus.
• There have been two major stadium renovations since the speaker's time as an undergraduate and through the first two years of law school:
  • The original stadium was a bowl structure that held just under $60,000$ people, associated with legendary figures like Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy.
  • The first renovation occurred in $1997$, which added the upper deck.
  • The second renovation in $2017$ added the outside units (O'Neil and Corbett) and reduced the total number of seats to accommodate luxury suite boxes.

The NFL Industry Calendar and Recruiting Cycle

• Recruiting and client development is a year-round, never-ending endeavor that cannot be segmented into specific cycles.
• Agents must always be in "go mode" and should never turn away talented individuals who align with the agency's values.

Spring Season

• This is the typical time for making initial contact with potential clients.
• Spring games are ideal for identifying draft-eligible prospects and observing their performance.
• Initial outreach involves messages to the player and their family.

Summer Season and the Role of Zoom

• Summer is for following up on spring contacts.
• Modern recruiting utilizes Zoom to vet interest before incurring the travel expenditure for in-person visits.
• Zoom allows for the gathering of inflection, body language, and facial expressions, which is superior to a standard phone call for conveying passion and conviction.

In-Person Meetings and the "Circle of Influence"

• Following Zoom calls, in-person meetings are essential to understand communication styles and energy.
• Agents must "win the room" by identifying the key gatekeeper in a player's circle.
• Case Study: The speaker recruited Casey Hayward (who played $10$ years in the NFL out of Vanderbilt) in $2011$. The speaker mistakenly assumed the father was the gatekeeper because it was a two-parent family. He later discovered the mother was the actual decision-maker, a mistake he highlights as a learning moment.

Fall Season: Game Attendance

• Showing up at games in season builds relationships with the player and parents.
• Seeing a player in person allows the agent to gauge their stature relative to other players and observe their interaction with coaches, which game film cannot fully capture.
• Communication during this time must be meaningful. The speaker avoids generic "how's the weather" calls and instead shares timely, relevant information, such as:
  • A recent agency win or contract deal.
  • Updates on medical specialists, such as a biomechanical doctor who can identify deficiencies to prevent injuries like ACL tears.

The Holiday Season and Agent Selection

• Final decisions regarding agent selection are usually made around Thanksgiving or early December.
• Approximately $95\%$ (or more) of legitimate draft-eligible players have selected their agent before their final bowl game or national championship game.
• This early selection allows the agent to coordinate logistics, training facilities, and all-star game preparation so the player can "hit the ground running" immediately after their final collegiate game.

Post-Season and Pre-Draft Timeline

Signings and Early Training

• Official signings occur after the final game (late December to mid-January).
• Example: Baron Browning (Ohio State) signed in January $2021$ after the national championship. The plan involved pass rush work with guru Chuck Smith in Atlanta, sports medicine treatment with Dr. Zach Scoble, and training at Exos Florida.

The Combine and Pro Days

• Post-season all-star games take place in late January.
• February is dedicated to combine training.
• The NFL Combine occurs at the end of February/early March; only $325$ players are invited nationwide.
• Pro Days (held in March) serve as each school’s individual combine for those not invited to the official combine or for those wanting to improve their numbers.
• Team interest is signaled by who attends a Pro Day. If a team sends a General Manager (GM), a head coach, and a position coach, it indicates strong interest.
• Example: Tony Fiametta (fullback from Syracuse, $2009$ $4^{th}$ round pick) had the Carolina Panthers' GM Marty Hurney and running backs coach attend his Pro Day, signaling they were high on him.

Pre-Draft "30 Visits"

• Teams are allotted up to $30$ official visits in April. These involve physicals and interviews but no on-field workouts. Four types of players are typically invited:
  1. Players with serious off-field baggage (e.g., Jalen Carter) to meet with sport psychologists.
  2. "Pro Day Workout Warriors" who were not at the combine but flashed elite numbers ($4.3$ second $40$-yard dash, $45$-inch vertical) and need a medical grade.
  3. Players with significant injury history (medical red flags) for evaluation by team doctors.
  4. Top-tier draft capital (Top $5$ or Top $10$ picks), particularly quarterbacks.

Post-Draft and Summer Break

• The NFL Draft takes place in late April.
• Rookie mini-camps occur $1$ or $2$ weeks after the draft. Teams prefer the $2$-week delay so players can stay for the off-season workout program without having to go home.
• Contract negotiations take place in May.
• OTAs end in mid-June.
• Training Camp begins the third week of July.
• Final preseason cut-downs occur at the end of August (historically Labor Day weekend).

NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) Recruiting

• NIL recruiting is a year-round pipeline that leads into NFL representation.
• Recruitment must start early, often by the end of a player's sophomore year of high school.
• Negotiation windows for NIL generally run from early December through mid-January (aligned with the transfer portal).
• Portal Window Rules:
  • There is now only one window for the transfer portal (e.g., January $2$ through January $16$).
  • An exception exists for players in the College Football Playoff: they have a $5$-day window after their final game to enter the portal.

Industry Networking and Relationship Building

• The "Open Hand" Approach: Networking should be based on what you can give rather than what you can get. Purposeful repetition of value-add actions builds character.
• Personal Example: The speaker connected his neighbor Diego (a US Army veteran in cybersecurity) with Rod Graves (former GM of the Arizona Cardinals and head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance). This led to a potential job and equity stake for Diego.
• Free Internships: These are the best way to gain experience. Agencies look for "intern character," work ethic, and a competitive nature.
• Professionalism: Use the "walk with purpose" analogy. Just as someone in a rush in New York walks with direction, an agent should approach their career with visible purpose.
• Networking Events:
  • Personnel Symposium in Nashville: Attended by Power $4$ and G$6$ GMs, and NFL personnel directors.
  • AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) Convention: Features coaches, GMs, and an exhibit hall with vendors like Catapult, Hammer Strength, and Vicis.
  • Media Relationships: Building trust with members like Pete Thamel, Max Olson, Matt Zenitz, and Chris Hummer helps in trading information (reciprocity).

Overview of the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement)

History and Leadership

• The NFLPA (NFL Players Association) was founded in $1956$.
• Key Executive Directors:
  • Ed Garvey ($1971$).
  • Gene Upshaw ($1983$): A Hall of Fame lineman for the Raiders who secured unrestricted free agency in $1993$.
  • DeMaurice Smith ($2009$).
  • Lloyd Howell ($2023$).

Work Stoppages

• $1982$ Strike: Season reduced to $9$ games with a $16$-game playoff tournament. Owners repaid $50,000,000$ to networks; players lost $275,000,000$ in wages.
• $1987$ Strike: Involved "replacement players" or "scabs." This was the basis for the movie The Replacements.
• $2011$ Lockout: Initiated by owners (March $12$ to July $25$) to change the revenue split.

Revenue Splits and the 2020 CBA

• Pre-$2011$: $50\%$ players, $50\%$ owners.
• Post-$2011$: $47\%$ players, $53\%$ owners.
• $2020$ CBA: $48.5\%$ players, $51.5\%$ owners. In exchange for the higher percentage, players accepted a $17^{th}$ regular-season game.
• Negotiation Strategy: Owners targeted the "bourgeoisie" (working-class players/rank-and-file) rather than the "proletariat" (superstars like Aaron Rodgers) by raising minimum base salaries by $25\%$–$30\%$ to ensure a majority vote.
• Post-Career Demands: Players continue to fight for lifetime health insurance and better transition assistance due to risks like CTE and dementia.

The NFL Salary Cap

• Implemented in $1993$ alongside free agency to provide guardrails for spending.
• Purpose: To ensure parity between small-market teams (e.g., Green Bay Packers) and large-market teams (e.g., New York Yankees/Giants).
• Historical Growth of the Salary Cap:
  • $2019$: $188,200,000$
  • $2020$: $198,200,000$
  • $2021$: A "catch up year" due to COVID-$19$ (loss of stadium attendance, parking, and ticket revenue).
  • $2022$: $208,000,000$
  • $2023$: $224,800,000$
  • $2024$: $255,400,000$
  • $2025$: $279,200,000$
  • $2026$: Forecasted at $301,200,000$