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Combine Field Trip

Papa Q, You know what other players were invited to this besides the three from Miami? Curious to know what other schools are represented.
 
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calinative umstudent said:
@UknowWhat tell us the truth. should we all just enter this season assuming it will be the Last Shaq is a Cane? Or should we still have some hope he'll return for his senior year?
....and your guesses on the rest of the potential early entrys would be appreciated.
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My advise to Shaq, one is to not get caught up on the hype of leaving early or staying now... The next game deserves 100% of your focus and energy. I also advise that he listen to the voices around him (ie NFL Draft Analyst), and read the writing on the wall. There is always hope... I'm very high on him getting his degree. I told him his play so far has been both solid and steady, but lack major impact that would gather media attention. I know he will be in the top 3 in tackles on the team this year... I know he will get at least 85 tackles, 5 TFL, ast least 1 sack, 2 PBU,but will that be enough to show him the money. I think the longer he stays the more impactful he will become... A lot of us WEREs expecting a super explosive year from all of our line backers... and it because they had okay freshmen years... didn't mess up... so we expected them to knock running backs out 4 yards deep in the backfield as Sophomores. And the truth was they were Sophomores. This season will have an huge impact on him leaving or staying... And it will of course be his choice and he is like other kids... with a bit a rebellion in him... If I lean heavy on him leaving... he will consider staying... If I lean on heavy on him staying... he will consider leaving... I try my best to keep the scales balanced... because there are arguments for going early and finishing on time.
kendallcanes said:
If projections equal reality, them boys should make the jump next year. But, nothing worse than getting the NFL in your head too early. Lots of games to play in the fall.

Can juniors take on an insurance policy?
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Yes... we have thought about it.... still thinking about it... but it may sound crazy... but part of me feel committing to an insurance safety net is the first stage of playing scared and lacking faith... The Lords Will, will be done ... that's what I believe.
 
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UknowWhat said:
My advise to Shaq, one is to not get caught up on the hype of leaving early or staying now... The next game deserves 100% of your focus and energy. I also advise that he listen to the voices around him (ie NFL Draft Analyst), and read the writing on the wall. There is always hope... I'm very high on him getting his degree. I told him his play so far has been both solid and steady, but lack major impact that would gather media attention. I know he will be in the top 3 in tackles on the team this year... I know he will get at least 85 tackles, 5 TFL, ast least 1 sack, 2 PBU,but will that be enough to show him the money. I think the longer he stays the more impactful he will become... A lot of us WEREs expecting a super explosive year from all of our line backers... and it because they had okay freshmen years... didn't mess up... so we expected them to knock running backs out 4 yards deep in the backfield as Sophomores. And the truth was they were Sophomores. This season will have an huge impact on him leaving or staying... And it will of course be his choice and he is like other kids... with a bit a rebellion in him... If I lean heavy on him leaving... he will consider staying... If I lean on heavy on him staying... he will consider leaving... I try my best to keep the scales balanced... because there are arguments for going early and finishing on time.

Yes... we have thought about it.... still thinking about it... but it may sound crazy... but part of me feel committing to an insurance safety net is the first stage of playing scared and lacking faith... The Lords Will, will be done ... that's what I believe.
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He's an impressive young man. I can only imagine the pride you have for him. Wish him all the best!
 
Spoke with Shaq, Ahmon and Joe on Saturday night. They were all have a great time... and what I was thinking about the trip was actually the case. From the onset it was explained that they were not there randomly, they were there because the are projected not only to be at the combine next year, but are projected by some to be in the 32 picks of the 2019 Draft. I asked Shaq was Dexter Lawrence and Ed Olivier there and of course he told me that they were. They had seminars on Social Media the does and don't.... like clean up all your profiles... be careful on who you follow... birds of a feather flock together..., How to find Agents, How Agents are going to find you, Girls..Girls...Girls... Being smart with your money (don't spend it before you get it)... It sounds as if it was very educational. Shaq said there were 5 Linebackers... he was the only ILB the others were OLB/Edges. Haven't talked with him since he got back... interested in what else he has to say. My predictions... Zach stays... Shaq 50/50... Mike 50/50
 
LRod said:
Congrats to all those young men that are blessed to have this opportunity. The years of hard work and sacrifices endured by these young men and their families hopefully pays off in the near future.
As a Canes fan, I am proud to have a few of the top 30 kids in the nation on our team be considered for this. Also, to have papa Shaq be part of this site and share is a great insight. That family is something special and you can easily see what they produced as a young man in Shaq.
Let’s win the natty this year, so if they decide to leave, they go with a ring. Go CANES.
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For those he can't tell LRod is a good friend of mine .. and our families have spent time together over past two years... Great people and I chalked them up as a positive during our UM experience
 
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TheMatador said:
I always liked field trips when I was a kid. They'd put us on a school bus, give us box lunch, take us to visit places our parents never did. Like out to the edge of the Everglades and we'd visit where the Indians lived. They told us they were Seminole Indians but they probably were really Miccousuki....They'd bring over some Indian guy with a headdress and told us it was the real Chief Osceola (another lie, the real Chief Osceola died years before.)

Another trip they took us to the Miami Serpentarium to watch that guy milk the cobras...and an Indian guy missing a few fingers wrestle an Alligator.

Miami was fun when I was a kid growing up back then....

Miami Seaquarium...Africa USA....Crandon Park....Spanish Monastery

All for field trips...think they can do better than box lunches this time.
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Only field trip I ever got to go on was in 5th grade. My female teacher was a movie buff and took us to see the Sound of Music. Had a great nap!
 
UknowWhat said:
My advise to Shaq, one is to not get caught up on the hype of leaving early or staying now... The next game deserves 100% of your focus and energy. I also advise that he listen to the voices around him (ie NFL Draft Analyst), and read the writing on the wall. There is always hope... I'm very high on him getting his degree. I told him his play so far has been both solid and steady, but lack major impact that would gather media attention. I know he will be in the top 3 in tackles on the team this year... I know he will get at least 85 tackles, 5 TFL, ast least 1 sack, 2 PBU,but will that be enough to show him the money. I think the longer he stays the more impactful he will become... A lot of us WEREs expecting a super explosive year from all of our line backers... and it because they had okay freshmen years... didn't mess up... so we expected them to knock running backs out 4 yards deep in the backfield as Sophomores. And the truth was they were Sophomores. This season will have an huge impact on him leaving or staying... And it will of course be his choice and he is like other kids... with a bit a rebellion in him... If I lean heavy on him leaving... he will consider staying... If I lean on heavy on him staying... he will consider leaving... I try my best to keep the scales balanced... because there are arguments for going early and finishing on time.

Yes... we have thought about it.... still thinking about it... but it may sound crazy... but part of me feel committing to an insurance safety net is the first stage of playing scared and lacking faith... The Lords Will, will be done ... that's what I believe.
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Yeah. I can side with both approaches. But, this is a violent sport. I guess with the faith approach, the degree can always be the insurance policy.
 
apfenny3 said:
Plenty of times haha, hard shots from him, Deon Bush, Rayshawn Jenkins, Shaq, Jamal Carter. I’d say the single worst hit was a high ball thrown to me where I was extended and Rayshawn had a full head of steam on me
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Gotta know: who was the QB? (just cause I gotta know, doesn't mean you gotta say... but I had to ask)
 
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UknowWhat said:
Spoke with Shaq, Ahmon and Joe on Saturday night. They were all have a great time... and what I was thinking about the trip was actually the case. From the onset it was explained that they were not there randomly, they were there because the are projected not only to be at the combine next year, but are projected by some to be in the 32 picks of the 2019 Draft. I asked Shaq was Dexter Lawrence and Ed Olivier there and of course he told me that they were. They had seminars on Social Media the does and don't.... like clean up all your profiles... be careful on who you follow... birds of a feather flock together..., How to find Agents, How Agents are going to find you, Girls..Girls...Girls... Being smart with your money (don't spend it before you get it)... It sounds as if it was very educational. Shaq said there were 5 Linebackers... he was the only ILB the others were OLB/Edges. Haven't talked with him since he got back... interested in what else he has to say. My predictions... Zach stays... Shaq 50/50... Mike 50/50
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I'm sure you will talk about this when you guys discuss the options in more detail after the season, but I'd heavily recommend not getting an agent, at the very least for his rookie contract (Lamar Jackson is doing it this yr). His rookie contract is the only one he's guaranteed to get in his life And if he's a 1st round draft pick he'd make a minimum of $9M over 4 yrs.. $270k of which would go to an agent (3%) thats enough money for many people to live 4-5yrs off of.. Now I'm sure Pete and apfenny would disagree with me here, but you absolutely do NOT need an agent in today's NFL, and that can't be more true than for your rookie contract which already has a pay scale in place. Literally all you need to do is:
1. Try to get it as fully guaranteed all 4yrs as possible (1st rounders should only sign ones that are 100% guaranteed all 4yrs).
2. try to get at as much of your bonus within your 1st yr (this is basically what Bosa held out for because chargers were being ****s and didn't want to pay Bosa his bonus until his 2nd yr which is bs).
3. Try to have as little offset language as possible, though only 1st rounder can usually get no offset language (if he gets cut and signs with another team).
4. Don't sign a contract that voids for suspension/FINES. Probably won't be able to leverage not including suspensions, but you definitely gotta fight to not include any voids for fines. Allowing a team to void a potential 4th yr of your fully guaranteed salary just because you showed up 5mins late to one meeting is just bs.

You should really think hard about not getting an agent, and instead get a lawyer to look over your contract for a one time fee...which will be much cheaper. Then maybe you or someone you guys trust can serve as his manager or something. The ONLY thing not having an agent for his rookie contract will be subpar for is potential endorsement deals. but obviously companies will reach out to him/you/whoever his manager is and you can find other similar players that signed endorsement deals or reach out to company's yourself.
Even after your rookie contract, all NFL contracts are public on Spotrac.com, they even have a "market value" tab that lets you check what a free agents market value is. And you obviously will fight for as much guaranteed money as possible. Like if you sign a 5yr-100m deal with only $10m guaranteed, that means you only signed a 1yr-$10m deal. It's not too complicated.

Hope he stays all 4 yrs, but if he's a 1st rounder, he's gotta go. Don't listen to what the agents say he will be.
 
calinative umstudent said:
I'm sure you will talk about this when you guys discuss the options in more detail after the season, but I'd heavily recommend not getting an agent, at the very least for his rookie contract (Lamar Jackson is doing it this yr). His rookie contract is the only one he's guaranteed to get in his life And if he's a 1st round draft pick he'd make a minimum of $9M over 4 yrs.. $270k of which would go to an agent (3%) thats enough money for many people to live 4-5yrs off of.. Now I'm sure Pete and apfenny would disagree with me here, but you absolutely do NOT need an agent in today's NFL, and that can't be more true than for your rookie contract which already has a pay scale in place. Literally all you need to do is:
1. Try to get it as fully guaranteed all 4yrs as possible (1st rounders should only sign ones that are 100% guaranteed all 4yrs).
2. try to get at as much of your bonus within your 1st yr (this is basically what Bosa held out for because chargers were being ****s and didn't want to pay Bosa his bonus until his 2nd yr which is bs).
3. Try to have as little offset language as possible, though only 1st rounder can usually get no offset language (if he gets cut and signs with another team).
4. Don't sign a contract that voids for suspension/FINES. Probably won't be able to leverage not including suspensions, but you definitely gotta fight to not include any voids for fines. Allowing a team to void a potential 4th yr of your fully guaranteed salary just because you showed up 5mins late to one meeting is just bs.

You should really think hard about not getting an agent, and instead get a lawyer to look over your contract for a one time fee...which will be much cheaper. Then maybe you or someone you guys trust can serve as his manager or something. The ONLY thing not having an agent for his rookie contract will be subpar for is potential endorsement deals. but obviously companies will reach out to him/you/whoever his manager is and you can find other similar players that signed endorsement deals or reach out to company's yourself.
Even after your rookie contract, all NFL contracts are public on Spotrac.com, they even have a "market value" tab that lets you check what a free agents market value is. And you obviously will fight for as much guaranteed money as possible. Like if you sign a 5yr-100m deal with only $10m guaranteed, that means you only signed a 1yr-$10m deal. It's not too complicated.

Hope he stays all 4 yrs, but if he's a 1st rounder, he's gotta go. Don't listen to what the agents say he will be.
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You bring up good points, I agree with some and obviously disagree with others. First 3% is the maximum, but this fee is negotiable. Your comment, "That's enough for most people to live comfortable for 4-5 years," that number is divided by the number of years of the contract, 4, which on a 3% commission averages to $67,500 per year. Certainly good money but I'd argue that's not exorbitant. As you said, the last CBA has created the slotted spots for rookies and the negotiation portion of an agent's job is much less on the first contract. Although you see a wide range of guaranteed money and some players are getting much less percentage guaranteed than players selected later than them. The offset language can be very tricky and one word you miss can literally change the entire contract, that's why I'd argue someone such as myself who will have a law degree and experience reading contracts can greatly help with that.

Another aspect negotiating if a player doesn't have an agent: It can be very awkward or disheartening for a player to have to negotiate with his employer, and listen to all of the negatives they'll bring up to his face when negotiating against him. Besides the player himself, only a registered agent can negotiate with a team. So Lamar Jackson's mom cannot speak to them on his behalf. The same holds true with a lawyer, he can review the contract, but in a back in forth negotiation, only the player would be able to actually communicate with the team.

As you mentioned, endorsements will be much harder to obtain without someone actively seeking and negotiating fair opportunities. Yes some may come to the player and happen organically, but for the most part this takes a lot of extensive work in reaching out to companies and selling your client.

Another factor is whether the player chooses to train at his school, or go to a facility, in which case the agent will cover the expense. Other benefits are having someone as your spokesperson/representative, which Lamar Jackson really could've used this weekend. Someone who can help guide you through the process, but is more impartial since they are not a relative. Also you have 3-4 years less of a rapport and trust for the rest of your career if you go your first contract without an agent.

To your last comment, that is absolutely correct. I am sick of reading about agents telling a guy they can get him into a higher round to entice them to leave early. The only sort of pull an agent can have in this realm is if he has an undrafted free agent guy, and he can get him a look or camp tryout if he has a good relationship with a scout or executive. Other than that, there is not one agent on the planet, no matter his or her experience, and no matter how close they are with NFL executives, that will get a player drafted higher. NFL front offices invest a ton of money in their scouting departments and go by what they see and feel. The risks are far too great for them to draft a guy just because so and so is their agent. Any agent that makes a promise like this is lying to the player's and family's face, and nothing else they have to say should be taken seriously.
 
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apfenny3 said:
You bring up good points, I agree with some and obviously disagree with others. First 3% is the maximum, but this fee is negotiable. Your comment, "That's enough for most people to live comfortable for 4-5 years," that number is divided by the number of years of the contract, 4, which on a 3% commission averages to $67,500 per year. Certainly good money but I'd argue that's not exorbitant. As you said, the last CBA has created the slotted spots for rookies and the negotiation portion of an agent's job is much less on the first contract. Although you see a wide range of guaranteed money and some players are getting much less percentage guaranteed than players selected later than them. The offset language can be very tricky and one word you miss can literally change the entire contract, that's why I'd argue someone such as myself who will have a law degree and experience reading contracts can greatly help with that.

Another aspect negotiating if a player doesn't have an agent: It can be very awkward or disheartening for a player to have to negotiate with his employer, and listen to all of the negatives they'll bring up to his face when negotiating against him. Besides the player himself, only a registered agent can negotiate with a team. So Lamar Jackson's mom cannot speak to them on his behalf. The same holds true with a lawyer, he can review the contract, but in a back in forth negotiation, only the player would be able to actually communicate with the team.

As you mentioned, endorsements will be much harder to obtain without someone actively seeking and negotiating fair opportunities. Yes some may come to the player and happen organically, but for the most part this takes a lot of extensive work in reaching out to companies and selling your client.

Another factor is whether the player chooses to train at his school, or go to a facility, in which case the agent will cover the expense. Other benefits are having someone as your spokesperson/representative, which Lamar Jackson really could've used this weekend. Someone who can help guide you through the process, but is more impartial since they are not a relative. Also you have 3-4 years less of a rapport and trust for the rest of your career if you go your first contract without an agent.

To your last comment, that is absolutely correct. I am sick of reading about agents telling a guy they can get him into a higher round to entice them to leave early. The only sort of pull an agent can have in this realm is if he has an undrafted free agent guy, and he can get him a look or camp tryout if he has a good relationship with a scout or executive. Other than that, there is not one agent on the planet, no matter his or her experience, and no matter how close they are with NFL executives, that will get a player drafted higher. NFL front offices invest a ton of money in their scouting departments and go by what they see and feel. The risks are far too great for them to draft a guy just because so and so is their agent. Any agent that makes a promise like this is lying to the player's and family's face, and nothing else they have to say should be taken seriously.
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I used $9m over 4 years, but thats if you're the last pick in the 1st round. As #1 Picks Goff got $28M, and Garrett got $30.4M. 3% of that is over 3/4 of a mill, and for what? as the 1st overall pick and a qb, goff literally didn't have to even neogtiate **** in his contract? of course he was going to get it fully guaranteed, and of course he was going to get no offset language, and of course he was going to get the majority/all of his bonus within his 1st yr. And he didn't have to worry about companies coming to him with offers. So it honestly is like this - the earlier you are picked, the less you need an agent.

And I wasn't saying Lamars mom was his agent, I said Manager. Shed help him with stuff that an agent typically would. She's essentially going to serve as the person that gets him endorsement deals, and sets up any outside interviews and the such. I don't think having an agent would have helped him with rejecting the request to do WR drills. He absolutely should have, and he was going to be asked about it in the interviews anyways. i think he did good. And yeah I agree the #1 area, ESPECIALLY in the rookie contract, where a player could suffer from not having an agent is endorsements - or other means of outside money like even public singing events ans ****. But this is why Lamar has his mom managing him. he trusts that she is going to a) not ***** him out of money. and b)work as hard as possible to get her son as much money through endorsements as possilbe - and she knows him better than anyone, so she knows the kind of endorsements/companies that would fit him/his image.

You make a really good point about being a UDFA. If You are a player that is projected to be 7th/UDFA I actually do think its in your best interest to hire an agent, (even though you make less money and that 3% is more important). Because this is when the agent will actually be earning that money. If you go Undrafted, and you don't have an agent, You likely won't even really know where to start, and agent would be key in this regard. Especially because the contract for UDFAs are not set at all. you can get huge bonuses or something super small like $10k. So yeah, hire an agent if you're projected to be a late 6th/7th rounder potential UDFA. And this goes back to my original point, the earlier you are picked the less you need an agent. The flipside of that is the later you're picked, the more you need one.
 
Canedog said:
Shaq could wear him some UM socks and get away with it.
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Before you guys say anything, they have a pee opening in the front so they're for dudes.

70e2c08262df8dbee9ab0c6c692bea73.jpg
 
calinative umstudent said:
I used $9m over 4 years, but thats if you're the last pick in the 1st round. As #1 Picks Goff got $28M, and Garrett got $30.4M. 3% of that is over 3/4 of a mill, and for what? as the 1st overall pick and a qb, goff literally didn't have to even neogtiate **** in his contract? of course he was going to get it fully guaranteed, and of course he was going to get no offset language, and of course he was going to get the majority/all of his bonus within his 1st yr. And he didn't have to worry about companies coming to him with offers. So it honestly is like this - the earlier you are picked, the less you need an agent.

And I wasn't saying Lamars mom was his agent, I said Manager. Shed help him with stuff that an agent typically would. She's essentially going to serve as the person that gets him endorsement deals, and sets up any outside interviews and the such. I don't think having an agent would have helped him with rejecting the request to do WR drills. He absolutely should have, and he was going to be asked about it in the interviews anyways. i think he did good. And yeah I agree the #1 area, ESPECIALLY in the rookie contract, where a player could suffer from not having an agent is endorsements - or other means of outside money like even public singing events ans ****. But this is why Lamar has his mom managing him. he trusts that she is going to a) not ***** him out of money. and b)work as hard as possible to get her son as much money through endorsements as possilbe - and she knows him better than anyone, so she knows the kind of endorsements/companies that would fit him/his image.

You make a really good point about being a UDFA. If You are a player that is projected to be 7th/UDFA I actually do think its in your best interest to hire an agent, (even though you make less money and that 3% is more important). Because this is when the agent will actually be earning that money. If you go Undrafted, and you don't have an agent, You likely won't even really know where to start, and agent would be key in this regard. Especially because the contract for UDFAs are not set at all. you can get huge bonuses or something super small like $10k. So yeah, hire an agent if you're projected to be a late 6th/7th rounder potential UDFA. And this goes back to my original point, the earlier you are picked the less you need an agent. The flipside of that is the later you're picked, the more you need one.
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I know what you meant by the original number you threw out. I review NFL contracts almost every day to learn more, but few guys going in the early part of the first round are doing a 3% deal. Two drafts ago, only 9 first rounders got their contract 100% guaranteed, on the flip, only 9 first rounders this past year didn't get fully guaranteed contracts, but some guys got their's fully guaranteed despite players drafted ahead of them getting 75-77% guaranteed. This is from an agent negotiating on their behalf, and a 3% or less commission is well worth it more so speaking on the later end of the round, where an agent can get a fully guaranteed contract, against performance and injury, and you're protected. Even with a 3% commission, a guy at the end of the round can make 22% more if he gets hurt and can't play again vs a guy who didn't get his fully guaranteed. Rueben Foster is set to lose millions of dollars now, despite being a first rounder, because of the offset language in regards to his recent arrests.

A great example of what I was talking about above, in the 2016 draft, Artie Burns got selected with the 25th pick. His total contract amount was $9,590,981, but only $7,383,120 was guaranteed, or 76.98%. Robert Nkemdiche was selected with the 29th pick. His total contract amount was $8,600,601, nearly a million total less than Artie, but his guaranteed total is $8,150,600 or 94.77%, about $800,000 more than Artie who went 4 picks higher. Because Artie's agent didn't negotiate as good of a deal, they can both get cut or injured tomorrow and Nkemdiche comes out with roughly $800,000 more, if you ask me that's worth the price of an agent's commission if the agent is a smart and ruthless negotiator and won't take no for an answer.

I really think Jackson could've benefited from someone preparing him more pre-combine, and letting it know to teams beforehand that he's strictly a QB and won't workout as a receiver. I'm sure his mom loves him and is going to work hard for him, but there are countless examples and probably more bad than good of either parents or family getting involved in business with each other and leading to tension, stealing, arguments, and strained relationships. Couple that with has she ever performed a marketing deal before? Does she have previous relationships with other companies? Does she know the going rates of certain endorsement fields since many aren't public knowledge? Is she competent at all in negotiating a marketing deal? Sure he can "save" by not paying the agent's cut for endorsements, but he can lose out enormously by potential incompetence of his mother, no matter how good her work ethic or intentions are.

I get the argument for the first rounders, I think in most circumstances they're better off with an agent but its not an absolute. 2nd rounders with less guarantees it becomes much more iffy, but I think anyone in the 3rd-beyond range is absolutely crazy if they don't get one.

Obviously I have a bias because this is the profession I'm choosing to pursue, but I'm doing it for the right reasons and there are many in the industry that aren't. I want to help my former teammates and athletes in general, and be able to combine an interest in sports and law. I don't want to be an 'entertainer' like others who have come to sudden notoriety in the industry, or even someone in the spotlight. I see players getting screwed on contracts, not getting good advice, and signing with agents who have extremely shady backgrounds or multiple lawsuits against them by former clients, where a simple google search of some of these names shows the character of the people they're choosing to act as their 'representative' or extension of themselves.
 
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apfenny3 said:
I know what you meant by the original number you threw out. I review NFL contracts almost every day to learn more, but few guys going in the early part of the first round are doing a 3% deal. Two drafts ago, only 9 first rounders got their contract 100% guaranteed, on the flip, only 9 first rounders this past year didn't get fully guaranteed contracts, but some guys got their's fully guaranteed despite players drafted ahead of them getting 75-77% guaranteed. This is from an agent negotiating on their behalf, and a 3% or less commission is well worth it more so speaking on the later end of the round, where an agent can get a fully guaranteed contract, against performance and injury, and you're protected. Even with a 3% commission, a guy at the end of the round can make 22% more if he gets hurt and can't play again vs a guy who didn't get his fully guaranteed. Rueben Foster is set to lose millions of dollars now, despite being a first rounder, because of the offset language in regards to his recent arrests.

A great example of what I was talking about above, in the 2016 draft, Artie Burns got selected with the 25th pick. His total contract amount was $9,590,981, but only $7,383,120 was guaranteed, or 76.98%. Robert Nkemdiche was selected with the 29th pick. His total contract amount was $8,600,601, nearly a million total less than Artie, but his guaranteed total is $8,150,600 or 94.77%, about $800,000 more than Artie who went 4 picks higher. Because Artie's agent didn't negotiate as good of a deal, they can both get cut or injured tomorrow and Nkemdiche comes out with roughly $800,000 more, if you ask me that's worth the price of an agent's commission if the agent is a smart and ruthless negotiator and won't take no for an answer.

I really think Jackson could've benefited from someone preparing him more pre-combine, and letting it know to teams beforehand that he's strictly a QB and won't workout as a receiver. I'm sure his mom loves him and is going to work hard for him, but there are countless examples and probably more bad than good of either parents or family getting involved in business with each other and leading to tension, stealing, arguments, and strained relationships. Couple that with has she ever performed a marketing deal before? Does she have previous relationships with other companies? Does she know the going rates of certain endorsement fields since many aren't public knowledge? Is she competent at all in negotiating a marketing deal? Sure he can "save" by not paying the agent's cut for endorsements, but he can lose out enormously by potential incompetence of his mother, no matter how good her work ethic or intentions are.

I get the argument for the first rounders, I think in most circumstances they're better off with an agent but its not an absolute. 2nd rounders with less guarantees it becomes much more iffy, but I think anyone in the 3rd-beyond range is absolutely crazy if they don't get one.
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Well like I said, I was sure you and pete and that douch kawa or whatever if he's on here would disagree.

I don't have anything against agents, but I just don't think for someone like Shaq it'll be necessary or worth it. I think the idea you "need" an agent is **** tbh. And the fact is there just are a lot of bad agents out there that will basically poison the mind of the player into thinking they are worth more and end up ******** the player and moving on to the next draft prospect who doesn't know better. Its up to every player to decide if they need one or not, I just know I wouldn't. And if i were in a spot like Shaq I'd take every advantage I could to learn about my options and to better prepare me to handling the responsibilities representing myself would entail.

Anyways, hope you do well at it though, and kill it for the UDFA type dudes, because thats who need it most. Agents with good moral are a positive.
 
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