NFL agent survey: 23 reps on Jonathan Taylor, Aaron Rodgers, Roger Goodell and more

NFL agents regained stable(ish) footing over the past 12 months. The impact of the pandemic faded. They’ve been around the block with recruiting chaos known as NIL. Heck, Dan Snyder’s celebrated exit meant sending clients to one of the 32 teams no longer required holding their noses. But that’s not to suggest these player reps have exhaled or stopped questioning everything going on around them.
The Athletic’s fifth annual agent survey provided a forum for 23 certified agents to vent on numerous league-wide matters. Some participated in previous surveys. Nearly a third bring fresh perspectives. This diverse group represents hundreds of players — Super Bowl MVPs, Pro Bowl selections, franchise quarterbacks, practice-squad hopefuls and 17 first-round selections over the past three years.
Granted anonymity to speak freely, these agents offered frank views about the running back market drying up, the league’s most unstable franchises and whether the NFL should ever allow international entities to own a franchise. They also dished on general managers, Roger Goodell’s future, Aaron Rodgers, Jonathan Taylor, Lamar Jackson and … Lionel Messi.
Interviews were conducted throughout the summer. Participants received follow-up calls or new questions as stories developed.
Should or could anything be done to address the depressed running back market?
• “This should have been in the CBA. Whether a lack of vision or oversight or indifference, it’s not there. If Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor can’t get paid …”
• “Outside of radical changes to CBA, umm … Running backs that run and catch will get paid. Pure running backs, yikes.”
• “I want players to make more money, but this isn’t the 1990s.”
• “The answer is getting rid of the franchise tag.”
• “Allow them to become free agents a year sooner.”
• “Stop calling themselves running backs. ‘All-around player’ or ‘playmaker’ or some other position label that applies to several different current positions.”
• “I feel horrible for those guys. … Unfortunately, the market is what the market bears. And right now, running back is seen as an expendable committee position. The only thing that they could do — and this is not realistic — is to get every single running back to withhold their services, so the teams have no one and then will be forced to pay. … As special as Christian (McCaffrey) is, if the 49ers wanted to say, ‘We don’t want to pay you what we’re paying you anymore,’ they can go find another good player. Not as good as Christian, not even close, but another good player, and they can probably win games with that player. That’s when you’re expendable.”
Devaluing of running backs could impact Hall of Fame chances
• “Having their own union? That’s a bit ridiculous. I think this is perception versus reality. Teams still view running backs as a valuable position. The Falcons and Lions used top-12 picks on backs. San Fran traded significant assets for Christian McCaffrey. There’s simply a gap between those scenarios and the majority of the league. This is definitely concerning, but that’s the trend.”
• “This is tied into astronomical salaries for quarterbacks. The fix is tying QB salaries to a percentage of the cap, either for the individual or the entire room. Otherwise, you have to steal money from somewhere.”
• “There’s no fix. Money is being spent, just not on them.”
Note: None of the agents suggested there is collusion happening.
What do you make of the Jonathan Taylor-Colts feud?
• “This doesn’t look good for the owner (Jim Irsay) or the player. … The market talks, and it’s ghosting the running backs. I stopped recruiting them a while ago. There are special players, but one knee injury can ruin a career. But the owner isn’t winning over the locker room with his childish social media talk.”
• “Jim Irsay. He spoke out about the RB situation and Taylor getting bad advice from his agent — the agent then fired back and got the kid involved — and basically said we’re not paying him s—. … It becomes difficult to work with that boss, especially if he’s not going to pay what you think you’re worth.”
• “Taylor does not have any leverage. But the Colts’ owner should get out of the way and let his GM handle it.”
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• “If (Irsay) had kept his thoughts to himself, Taylor likely stays and plays. Instead, Irsay ruined it and gave Taylor an easy reason to demand a trade. Why not take it since that franchise is not showing a ton of promise?”
• “I think it’s fueled by bad agent advice compounded by a devaluation at the RB position.”
• “I can’t believe the Colts are not paying him. They wore him down with all of those carries. The injuries are a direct result. They also paid several of their picks to second deals like Shaq Leonard, Braden Smith. This is breaking precedent. (Chris) Ballard is a good GM. This is coming from the owner.”
• “Taylor is tremendous. The Colts also went 13-20-1 in his two playoff-less seasons. So it’s like when Branch Rickey told Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner in contract negotiations, ‘We finished last with you, we can do that without you.'”
• “At some point, a front office has to ask if we’re trying to win a negotiation or trying to win games. Do we need to talk about supply and demand for our best player?”
What are your thoughts on Lamar Jackson’s contract extension and how he got there with the Ravens despite no formal agent?
• “Cool that he got the deal complete without an agent. However, he left money on the table by waiting a year, unlike Justin Herbert. Lamar saved on fees but lost money.”
• “He should have hired an agent. He took on injury risk for getting basically what was there in the first place. Would be closer to another deal now. The lack of an agent has also limited his endorsements. Maybe he’s one of those players for whom sponsor money isn’t worth what’s required in personal time. Some guys don’t care, but this keeps you outside the loop regardless.”
• “As long as he’s happy with the process, that’s all that matters.”
• “People helped him. So did the Jalen Hurts deal.”
• “Teams might want to avoid players who rep themselves after watching this. I wonder if this was eye-opening for Lamar. He was tagged, and nobody pushed for him a year after teams coveted Deshaun Watson despite his legal issues.”
• “Missed opportunity for everyone here. He had a chance to get what Watson got with guaranteed money if he pushed more. He got a great deal and good for him, but Watson and (Kirk) Cousins remain outliers rather than trendsetters.”
• “Give him credit. He got a great contract. Baltimore kind of caved. Once Hurts went, Baltimore could easily justify the terms. Make no mistake: If Baltimore could have gotten another quarterback, they would have. He’s a tremendous athlete but runs hot and cold as a passer and gets hurt. The frustration is he didn’t fight through injuries. He also might be the most explosive player with the ball in his hand. They were stuck. Lamar hung in there throughout the whole process. You can make the case a traditional agent gets the cash flow a year ago, but he got there. Shows what leverage can do.”
• “Love it. Player empowerment”
What do you make of Aaron Rodgers pushing for the Jets at the end of his saga with the Packers and in the name of player empowerment?
• “Hey, Lamar Jackson couldn’t pull it off.”
• “Good thing. Players have value. We see this happening in basketball. These franchise values keep going up. Players helped make that value.”
• “Rodgers took a pay cut (with the Jets) out of spite (for the Packers). It’s important for him to have a voice/say in team matters. The Packers wouldn’t, at least in his view, but the Jets did.”
• “Only the 1 percenters can pull this off. Running backs are realizing this. Positions don’t matter in the NBA. Only five starters, and any of them can create significant contract leverage. In the NFL, only the QB compares.”
• “Actual player empowerment is rare, but it happens and happens beyond the quarterback room. What you’ll notice is that they probably have good representation. They definitely had great internal fortitude. Most importantly, they are or were special players like Darrelle Revis, Khalil Mack, Jalen Ramsey and others. Guys that had the guts to hold out or force a trade to get proper money.”
• “I wouldn’t take ayahuasca, but I did read about it (because of Rodgers). I think they had it as part of the first Thanksgiving.”
In 2010, top QBs were making $20 million annually. Now it’s $52.5 million. When will someone hit $100 million? Will this rise slow at least somewhat?
• “We’ll get to $75 million in the next four to five years and $100 million by ‘29-30. People can dismiss that idea, but it will happen sooner than later with the way the cap is rising.”
• “There’s a very strong argument that it’s actually being held down a little bit artificially now by the tag and some previously signed deals. The top guys are averaging $50 million per year whether they’ve been deep into the playoffs or not. I think the argument should be made that there’s an owner out there — if not 10 — that gives an unrestricted free-agent Patrick Mahomes a three-year, $300 million fully guaranteed deal. Look what he means to a franchise. Think about the perception of the Chiefs before he emerged. That’s why so many GMs are clandestinely sucking for Caleb Williams. They look at the arm angles, arm strength, the ability to throw off the back foot and they’re like, ‘Maybe that’s the next Mahomes.’ How else are you going to get a guy like that?”
• “At some point, someone has to take less to keep everyone. Mahomes is underpaid but gave K.C. flexibility. Very curious about what (Joe) Burrow chooses.”
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• “The salary cap keeps going up by 8-10 percent every year, so why wouldn’t QB salaries keep rising? The actual dollar figures don’t mean anything to me. It’s all about the percentage of the cap. … I think the NFL will never let a team do a contract tied to the percentage of the cap, but I think it is the way we need to look at these quarterback contracts. … The only way to create that kind of leverage for other great players is to get to the open market. The problem is we have this silly franchise tag provision. I wish the franchise tag provision was only one year. … We may have seen a step back with mid-tier quarterback (salaries) compared to the past based on Geno Smith, Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo.”
• “As long as supply/demand favors quarterbacks, it will keep going up. Caveat: Is there a pipeline of cheap Brock Purdy options?”
• “Rapid pace lately, but some players will eventually take less to keep everyone.”
• “(The Cardinals) have stable owners, but the franchise’s mentality and financial plan aren’t sound. Now on a path to not-win to dump Kyler Murray and position itself for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for Caleb Williams. The organization hasn’t been good even when posting positive records.”
• “Had a client considering signing there. He checked with a friend on the team and was told, ‘Don’t come here.’ The Kyler contract. GM resigns. Accusations against the owner. Maybe the new GM and coach change things. Maybe.”
• “The usual suspects have cleaned up their act or are trying. Snyder’s gone. The Bengals would be a consideration, but Duke Tobin and Joe Burrow have them turned around. Let’s go Cardinals.”
• “I’ve been so brainwashed to think of Washington so I can’t think of anyone easily. Oh, the Colts. The things Irsay says make it tough on Ballard and the staff.”
• “I’ll go with Washington. A new owner is great, but you hold the belt until it’s proven otherwise.”
• “Cowboys. Nepotism at its finest. I know they’re a valuable franchise, and they have a good quarterback and they win games, but they’re very poorly run.”
Others who received one vote: Jaguars GM Trent Baalke, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta, Seahawks director of college scouting Aaron Hineline, Jets pro personnel director Greg Nejmeh, Giants GM Joe Schoen, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin
• “Howie deserves so much credit, but a GM is only as good as their scouts, and the Eagles have had a great staff.”
• “Look at (Schneider’s) track record. They’ve stolen so many guys over the years throughout the draft. They find players in every round now. The head coach dictates the style of play, and they like to run the ball. Drafting running backs two years in a row in the second round is more a reflection of the head coach. I’m not saying that’s the wrong style, but Schneider overcomes to find players in every round, still.”
• “What the Chiefs did last year is nothing short of miraculous, how they were able to plug and play several rookies in key positions. They hit on their draft picks for the last four or five years pretty solidly, which not a lot of teams have done.”
Note: Colts GM Chris Ballard received the most votes in this category in each of the first four years we conducted this survey. Though a finalist for some agents, he didn’t receive a vote this year. One agent said, “Ballard stands out, but I have to ding him because he screwed up the quarterback situation.”
Others who received one vote: Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Browns GM Andrew Berry, Saints assistant GM/VP of football operations Khai Harley, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, Saints GM Mickey Loomis, Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay, Broncos GM George Paton, Bears GM Ryan Poles, Rams GM Les Snead, Seahawks assistant GM Nolan Teasley
• “With a lot of GMs, you feel like you’re doing a deal, and they are focused on not looking bad with peers, or you wonder if he’s telling you the truth as to why the team is where they are. With Omar, he’s just as honest as the day is long. He’s consistent and treats everyone with respect.”
• “(Khan is) down to earth and never any issue with backtracking after agreeing to something.”
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• “Good, bad or ugly, Adam (Peters) does it the right way. He treats people with compassion, even when it’s a bad situation. He’s always honest. You know where you stand. I’m surprised he has not gotten a general manager job to this point. I think that if you’re a team looking this year, to put it bluntly, you would be dumb to look anywhere else. I think he is the best in the business.”
• “It’s (head coach) Mike Vrabel who really leads the (Titans) organization. Part of what makes him a hard-nosed individual is the fact that he is very candid. And to some degree, you really appreciate the candor. Carthon falls into that same profile.”
• “Sometimes (GMs) can’t share everything, but no need to be overly deceptive. Everything (Licht has) told me has basically been honest.”
• “Really impressed by Kwesi. Excellent communicator.”
• “Look, I hate to say it, but (Roseman) keeps putting together good rosters and wins games.”
• “Sometimes he’s cutthroat, but (Roseman) finds a way to get the right guys for the roster and their salary cap.”
• “(Roseman) gets ahead of extensions and gets guys to take less money. That’s a sign.”
• “(Veach) knows personnel, money, media and is a good person.”
• “(Schneider is) smart. Honest. Wins. Tough but respectful.”
• “First off, they’re all the enemy. It’s a really hard question because there are guys that I think do a good job that I like dealing with. And then there are guys who I actually think are really good GMs but I just don’t like dealing with. Beane is honest, direct, a strong evaluator and respectful.”
Others who received one vote: Dolphins assistant GM Marvin Allen, Bills senior director of pro personnel Malik Boyd, Bengals personnel exec Trey Brown, Giants executive advisor to the GM Ryan Cowden, Bucs VP of football research Jacqueline Davidson, Dolphins co-director of player personnel Adam Engroff, Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray, Seahawks director of college scouting Aaron Hineline, Jets assistant GM Rex Hogan, Eagles assistant director of college scouting Ryan Myers, Broncos assistant GM Darren Mougey, Jets pro personnel director Greg Nejmeh, Lions senior director of football administration Brandon Sosna, Bucs assistant GM John Spytek, Chiefs director of player personnel Tim Terry, Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl, Patriots director of scouting Eliot Wolf
• “If the Broncos struggle, (Sean) Payton will want his own guys, and he trusts Harley.”
• “Aaron (Hineline) is exceptional. He’s almost never wrong, finds guys early in the process and unearths important character info.”
Do you think Lionel Messi’s MLS contract, which includes a cut of the TV package and profit-sharing from sponsors, could become a trend in all sports, including the NFL?
• “It could be a new trend in sports with strong unions, so not in the NFL. We don’t even have fully guaranteed contracts. Let’s take that step first. Justin Herbert didn’t do it. But I’m holding out hope that Joe Burrow will. Need top guys to do that for the trickle-down effect. Until we can cross that bridge, there’s no way we’re getting any sort of profit sharing.”
• “No NFL player moves the needle like Messi.”
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• “Depends, but football would be the last one. The league wipes the floor with NFLPA, so it’s hard to see. Would have to be crazy circumstances involving maybe peak Tom Brady or Mahomes if they were free agents. That the best players don’t make it to free agency is one problem.”
• “No for the NFL, unless the Saudis wanted to start LIV Football with the financial splash it used to lure PGA golfers. This would raise salaries in the NFL because there would be competition. Give players options. Big money and why not guaranteed contracts? I would hate the source, but another league that can fund itself would help the players.”
Yes
• “Who cares? Everyone else is going to. Someone is going to take the money. Turning down the money for ethical reasons, you’re pretending NFL owners are ethical people. The era of new owners looking like the Maras and Rooneys is over.”
• “Cash is cash. (Dan) Snyder abused power as a single owner. An equity group lessens that individual power.”
No
• “Any new owner must undergo a background check. That would be interesting with some of the international parties. It’s been an old white guy business. I’m all about encouraging minority owners, but when you start getting in bed with Saudi Arabia, what’s next?”
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• “I have no problem with minority partners, but not rewarding countries that have been dreadful on human rights and are very discriminatory against their citizens based upon your sex, religion or whatever. There’s no place in our world for that. We can’t reward those countries just because they have money. … We can evolve.”
• “We sold out to gambling. Are we really going to sell out to the Saudis? I don’t think we need to. We have the most popular sport in America, and everybody is making money. We may have seen with the Washington sale that it takes a Jeff Bezos or David Tepper to afford these prices. That’s concerning, but at what cost? If money is the sole focus of your life, I don’t know.”
Yes
• “I would hope that he stays. He’s vastly overpaid, but that’s because he’s done a good job.”
• “From a business standpoint, he is doing great. Revenues are high.”
• “Bird in the hand.”
NFL's Roger Goodell close on contract extension
No
• “Rather than hug players on draft day for good press, I want someone who stands up to the owners on putting in safer playing surfaces for their players rather than for a short time when the World Cup arrives (in 2026).”
• “I think the pace at which the business of football is changing — it happens so much faster now for a lot of different reasons. That, to me, at least, it would seem that you would want your tenure of your commissioner not to be as long because you kind of need that fresh perspective, that fresh leadership perspective.”
• “You need a commish who will stand up to the owners, which is hard since they are the boss. I don’t know how you do that, but he won’t. Yeah, I’d love a new voice for that reason and someone who would get owners on board with a developmental league and other forward-thinking moves.”
Doesn’t matter
• “It’s a great question. I don’t know the answer. Obviously, the owners believe in Roger, and they pay accordingly. But is he more than a figurehead mouthpiece? How much is he really doing when working for 31 billionaires and the Packers? If Roger capitulates to what they want and takes the hit publicly, you can see why that’d be attractive to them.”
• “Really, it doesn’t matter. The union hasn’t been tough enough. Players can’t strike. Billionaires can wait them out.”
Were the NFL and NFLPA ineffective in explaining gambling rules to players, or were those suspended just ignorant?
• “The league. I don’t think anyone thought gambling on non-football games would cost them games. You can go across the street from your facility and make bets, but 71 steps back the other way gets you suspended for several games. Bet on the NFL, shame on you. Bet other sports, come on, what?”
• “Everyone knows they can’t bet on their team, but not betting on your sport isn’t emphasized enough.”
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• “It’s hypocritical that the league takes money from gambling sites, and then suspends players for gambling on other sports.”
• “I don’t think that they did a good job at all. And I don’t think the union did a good job educating the players, either. … I’m not really sure how the league is cherry-picking who they’re going to punish and who they’re not. How the league is choosing who gets suspended and who gets busted, I don’t know.”
• “Honestly, it’s probably these players screwing up.”
The players elected a new NFLPA executive director. What do you think of Lloyd Howell and the secretive process?
Note: Every agent made similar comments about the process, and most knew little about DeMaurice Smith’s replacement beyond his prior role as CFO with Booz Allen Hamilton, a D.C.-area consulting firm.
• “I don’t know anything about Howell. Very disappointed in the secrecy. Democracy is not easy. The most important thing that I’m hoping for is that, as opposed to the last leader, who ex-communicated the agents, this leader is going to truly reach out to the agents and ask for their input and be much more collaborative.”
Selection of new NFLPA leader raises questions about process
• “I likened it to the American people being told that they’re picking the President of the United States, and they find out who the candidates are the night before the election. To me, the next CBA is the single most important negotiation in the history of pro football in America. … I’m standing next to an NFL player right now. Not only did he not know, they had no f—ing idea that a vote was even being taken and had no idea about any candidate. Then seemingly every union rep tweeted out the same series of tweets after the election — that this was the most full and fair and transparent player-led process — which leads me to believe it was completely the opposite, right? Why would 23 guys tweet out virtually the same language?”
• “I do find it interesting that we had Gene Upshaw, who had good relationships with owners — players didn’t always grasp why that was so important — to a trial lawyer in DeMaurice, who was more combative, to more of a CFO, financial type. It’s kind of like when a team has a coach that’s a tyrant, and they fire him, then say we’re gonna bring in somebody different.”
• “The process was a joke. I know some of the player reps were given barely any notice before the meeting to vote. These reps put far too much trust into (NFLPA president) JC Tretter, and I’m not quite sure why because I don’t think he’s really done anything to earn that trust. Hopefully, the new guy is great.”
• “New, but maybe don’t rock the boat before the new CBA.”
The Football 100, the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Pre-order it here.