5723 replies to this topic

[BaltBird 24]

Imagine being on the verge of a 9-figure contract and not wanting to hire an agent because you may have to pay him 1%-3%, thus enduring the circus this has become.

I'm waiting for him to star in a C-List action movie like Willie Mays Hayes did in Major League 2.

[Mackus]

Imagine being on the verge of a 9-figure contract and not wanting to hire an agent because you may have to pay him 1%-3%, thus enduring the circus this has become.

I'm waiting for him to star in a C-List action movie like Willie Mays Hayes did in Major League 2.

Like Roquon Smith or Laremy Tunsil? I don't think they're suffering from lack of representation. They just get to keep their entire bag rather than give away multiple millions.

I don't see a single issue with Lamar that an agent would be likely to solve. He wouldn't have had this memo come out, but that's a non-issue aside from looking uninformed. As far as his contract, an agent changes nothing unless you're arguing that an agent convinces him to reach different conclusions. Maybe that happens. But I haven't seen a compelling argument for Lamar listening to an agents advice if that advice differs from what Lamar wants.

[makoman]

I think he probably can still negotiate a deal that's more or less within 1% of what an agent could get him at this point. Seems to be the non-monetary aspects of the process that are being botched and not actual negotiations. Not sure we'll hear about details of any negotiation.

I do think there is a case that what he can sign for now may be less than what he's already turned down, so you could argue an agent would've helped him reach that decision to sign earlier for less than desired. I doubt Lamar would have taken that advice, but perhaps.

If Lamar is content to play on the tag this year unless the Ravens or someone else offer him what he wants, then he doesn't need an agent to achieve that. That approach again may end up costing him money overall, but having a agent would just cost him even more unless we're back to the path of him listening to advice rather than executing a contract.

Yeah it is hard to say if he is actually costing himself money or just hurting his image. I think the match threat is the biggest driver of there being no offers, but it’s possible some team was on the fence and just didn’t want to deal with the rumored impossible negotiations.

I think most of us assume an Allen-type deal was available, it’ll be interesting to see what Lamar ultimately gets and look back and see what route got the most money. Lamar can still catch up of course but Allen got a ton more already in the bank the last couple years.

[TwentyThirtyFive]

Would be curious to know when the Ravens got serious about an extension. Cant do it til after 2nd year or is it 3rd year? Anyway, were the Ravens slow getting to the table or has Lamar seemingly always been alergic to an extension

[Mackus]

Would be curious to know when the Ravens got serious about an extension. Cant do it til after 2nd year or is it 3rd yesr? Anyway, were the Ravens slow getting to the table or has Lamar seemingly always been alergic to an extension

After 3rd year

[russsnyder]

Like Roquon Smith or Laremy Tunsil? I don't think they're suffering from lack of representation. They just get to keep their entire bag rather than give away multiple millions.

I don't see a single issue with Lamar that an agent would be likely to solve. He wouldn't have had this memo come out, but that's a non-issue aside from looking uninformed. As far as his contract, an agent changes nothing unless you're arguing that an agent convinces him to reach different conclusions. Maybe that happens. But I haven't seen a compelling argument for Lamar listening to an agents advice if that advice differs from what Lamar wants.

There is no good reason for Jackson to be uninformed if he was not going to hire an agent while engaging in the process of being tagged. In short, his ignorance about being the only one to negotiate with teams at this point shows a total lack of preparation for the entire process. I can see where teams may question his overall level of preparation as a result.

Also, an agent may actually be able to work out a deal with a team right now by using their relationship to hammer out a contract and convince the team that their client is worth two first round draft picks. So far, Lamar has shown no willingness to reach out to anyone on his own behalf. Instead, he's waiting for the phone to ring like a dateless high school girl on prom night.

I think he may cost himself some money in the short run by not hiring an agent and by by not immersing himself fully in the process without one. Of course, he has 32 million sitting in the table and he will have the opportunity to play himself to an even bigger payday next year.

[Slidemaster]

Like Roquon Smith or Laremy Tunsil? I don't think they're suffering from lack of representation. They just get to keep their entire bag rather than give away multiple millions.

I don't see a single issue with Lamar that an agent would be likely to solve. He wouldn't have had this memo come out, but that's a non-issue aside from looking uninformed. As far as his contract, an agent changes nothing unless you're arguing that an agent convinces him to reach different conclusions. Maybe that happens. But I haven't seen a compelling argument for Lamar listening to an agents advice if that advice differs from what Lamar wants.

I think the damage to his image and obvious immaturity being put on display has probably cost him more than he would have paid an agent.

[russsnyder]

I think the damage to his image and obvious immaturity being put on display has probably cost him more than he would have paid an agent.

I think you make a good point.

If nothing else, Lamar looks like he has some sort of rigjt to get overwhelmed with.offers and his appeoach to the process has not been impressive.Hard to believe that this hasn't had an impact in potential suitors.

[jamesdean]

Whether he saved himself a few million dollars by not hiring an agent is besides the point at this juncture.  The bottom line is he hasn't signed a long term contract and interest from other teams has been non-existent.  With an agent, he's probably not in the same position and he would have been told in no uncertain terms that wanting a guaranteed contract worth more than Watson's wasn't going to happen. Apparently, he has no one telling him that from the PA and certainly not from his mother.  He'll eventually sign with someone down the road but it won't be anywhere near what he was expecting.  And I don't believe for a second that he never wanted a fully guaranteed contract.  If that was the case, he'd be signed by now.  Something was and is holding up the process and I think everyone knows what it is.  Do yourself a huge favor, Lamar.  Hire a frickin agent, get this over with and don't be so damn greedy. 

[jamesdean]

I think you make a good point.

If nothing else, Lamar looks like he has some sort of rigjt to get overwhelmed with.offers and his appeoach to the process has not been impressive.Hard to believe that this hasn't had an impact in potential suitors.

It's funny to me that anyone would think Lamar Jackson would have one iota of knowledge or experience in negotiating with the Ravens or other teams on a long term contract.  The PA can play him like a puppet all they want but it doesn't change how little he knows about the process.  It's a little late in the game to suddenly try and educate yourself.  The fallout has been exactly what it should have been coming from someone who's clueless.  There's no mystery why just about every athlete hires an agent- they know NOTHING about that part of the game and at least admit it to themselves.  Too bad Lamar didn't follow the norm. 

[Mackus]

There isn't that much to learn about negotiating an extension. Compare yourself to peers and scale up or down as needed. That's easy. Did all of you people hire representation to negotiate your salaries? It's basically the same, just a much larger scale, and in fact with NFL it's probably easier than many industries as every salary and contract is public knowledge. If Lamar has prepared himself for the talks with the Ravens, then it's fine, seems like something anyone with cognizance and interest can do. Roquon Smith just did it. If he did no prep, then it's a mistake.

Free agent contract is different as you need to be able to leverage teams against one another. It's still just negotiation, but doing it amongst multiple suitors takes more experience and feel than just negotiating with one entity you already have a relationship with. Experienced help here could make a big difference.

I think hiring an agent would've been a good idea once Lamar hit free agency. Prior to that, it serves little purpose for a player who wants to be involved in the minutae. For someone who doesn't want to deal with any details, then it's probably worth the 3% or less.

[jamesdean]

There isn't that much to learn about negotiating an extension. Compare yourself to peers and scale up or down as needed. That's easy. Did all of you people hire representation to negotiate your salaries? It's basically the same, just a much larger scale, and in fact with NFL it's probably easier than many industries as every salary and contract is public knowledge. If Lamar has prepared himself for the talks with the Ravens, then it's fine, seems like something anyone with cognizance and interest can do. Roquon Smith just did it. If he did no prep, then it's a mistake.
Free agent contract is different as you need to be able to leverage teams against one another. It's still just negotiation, but doing it amongst multiple suitors takes more experience and feel than just negotiating with one entity you already have a relationship with. Experienced help here could make a big difference.
I think hiring an agent would've been a good idea once Lamar hit free agency. Prior to that, it serves little purpose for a player who wants to be involved in the minutae. For someone who doesn't want to deal with any details, then it's probably worth the 3% or less.

If its so easy, why does anyone hire an agent? What good would they be if its such an elementary process? I don't think for a second Lamar wants to be involved in the most minute details of negotiating. As you can clearly see, its worked out great so far for Lamar. He knows so much about what to do that he lets some rogue buddy of his contact teams.

[Mackus]

If its so easy, why does anyone hire an agent? What good would they be if its such an elementary process? I don't think for a second Lamar wants to be involved in the the most minute details of negotiating. As you can clearly see, its worked out great so far for Lamar. He knows so much about what to do that he lets some rogue buddy of his contact teams.

I think most guys don't wanna deal with the details and the small percentage is worth it for them.

Other guys wanna be involved, and if you're gonna be involved heavily, then there isn't a lot that you need an agent for that you can't do yourself as long as you're only negotiating with a single team.

TBD whether it works out for Lamar or not. Need to see what deal he gets when he eventually does. The procedural error is meaningless. It's worked out just fine without an agent for Smith and Tunsil, the highest paid guys at their positions ever. Bobby Wagner didn't seem to have too big of a issue as a free agent last year.

[Slidemaster]

I think most guys don't wanna deal with the details and the small percentage is worth it for them.

Other guys wanna be involved, and if you're gonna be involved heavily, then there isn't a lot that you need an agent for that you can't do yourself as long as you're only negotiating with a single team.

TBD whether it works out for Lamar or not. Need to see what deal he gets when he eventually does. The procedural error is meaningless. It's worked out just fine without an agent for Smith and Tunsil, the highest paid guys at their positions ever. Bobby Wagner didn't seem to have too big of a issue as a free agent last year.

Something I remember Shannon Sharpe bringing up with regard to hiring an agent versus not, is that an agent keeps negative things a team may say about his client away from the client's ears. Teams are always going to look for shortcomings in a player's game to try to get the best price, and agents keep the player from hearing those things and getting hurt feelings. I think this is an underrated, and underappreciated benefit of having representation.

[CantonJester]

I think most guys don't wanna deal with the details and the small percentage is worth it for them.

Other guys wanna be involved, and if you're gonna be involved heavily, then there isn't a lot that you need an agent for that you can't do yourself as long as you're only negotiating with a single team.

TBD whether it works out for Lamar or not. Need to see what deal he gets when he eventually does. The procedural error is meaningless. It's worked out just fine without an agent for Smith and Tunsil, the highest paid guys at their positions ever. Bobby Wagner didn't seem to have too big of a issue as a free agent last year.

 

Were those guys looking for guaranteed money? Did they take to social media as an attempt to throw shade and obfuscate the situation?

 

He’s like a teenage girl. Honestly, it’d be hilarious if it weren’t so tedious. 

[Mackus]

Were those guys looking for guaranteed money? Did they take to social media as an attempt to throw shade and obfuscate the situation?

He’s like a teenage girl. Honestly, it’d be hilarious if it weren’t so tedious.

Plenty of guys with agents behave very similarly to the things Lamar has done. Players with agents have behaved far worse in many cases. He'd still be posting all the same crap if he had an agent. People are misplacing their displeasure. If you don't like his behavior, that's fine, but I think that has zero to do with his representation status.

[jamesdean]

Something I remember Shannon Sharpe bringing up with regard to hiring an agent versus not, is that an agent keeps negative things a team may say about his client away from the client's ears. Teams are always going to look for shortcomings in a player's game to try to get the best price, and agents keep the player from hearing those things and getting hurt feelings. I think this is an underrated, and underappreciated benefit of having representation.

I referenced that point some pages back where before free agency in baseball, you had to meet with the owner and GM and pretty much build a case for yourself in getting a raise.  The counter argument would be all the negative things you mentioned.  After doing it year after year, I'm sure most of the players got used to the little games played in negotiations but getting raises was pretty tough to come by.  I don't think Lamar has a clue on how to play this game and the longer it goes on without an agent, the greater the chance of him having to play on the tag.  Maybe he's cool with that, maybe he isn't.  Who knows.  Either way, that's the road he chose to go down. 

[You Play to Win the Game]

Plenty of guys with agents behave very similarly to the things Lamar has done. Players with agents have behaved far worse in many cases. He'd still be posting all the same crap if he had an agent. People are misplacing their displeasure. If you don't like his behavior, that's fine, but I think that has zero to do with his representation status.

TO and LeBron both had agents. Both of their high profile situations were total disasters. Lol. I am definitely seeing the power of the NFL machine with their ability to influence perspectives and smear people. Lamar is definitely without a doubt being hung out to dry at every turn, probably because it has the union vs. league undertone to it all. Still don’t love how Lamar has handled it, but I see this and don’t like it. Lamar deserves better.

[Mike in STL]

TO and LeBron both had agents. Both of their high profile situations were total disasters. Lol. I am definitely seeing the power of the NFL machine with their ability to influence perspectives and smear people. Lamar is definitely without a doubt being hung out to dry at every turn, probably because it has the union vs. league undertone to it all. Still don’t love how Lamar has handled it, but I see this and don’t like it. Lamar deserves better.

Nah, screw him. Despite being exponentially worse, he was offered more guaranteed money than Mahomes and he’s responding with turd emojis because he’s the only person in the entire world that doesn’t understand how stupid the Watson contract is. He’s hanging himself out to dry by being willing to die on this hill.

[CantonJester]

Plenty of guys with agents behave very similarly to the things Lamar has done. Players with agents have behaved far worse in many cases. He'd still be posting all the same crap if he had an agent. People are misplacing their displeasure. If you don't like his behavior, that's fine, but I think that has zero to do with his representation status.

 

I might’ve believed this if it weren’t for just this past week where he wasted everybody’s time by having an unlicensed, and thereby unqualified person make calls on his behalf.

 

At this point, he’s a clown show.