San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman likes having company among prominent NFL players without agents.
So Sherman says he’s pleased to see that Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn’t hired an agent in advance of the 2018 NFL draft.
“Yes, it’s a great idea,” Sherman told USA Today. “In terms of improving his draft stock or the amount of money he receives, there isn’t much they can do. I’m sure he has mentors and [advisers] who can guide him.”
Not hiring an agent makes more sense for a rookie like Jackson, who is going to be stuck with the contract slotted to his draft position, than for a veteran free agent like Sherman, who was involved in active contract negotiations. So even if Sherman is right that Jackson doesn’t need an agent, that doesn’t mean Sherman made the right call when he decided not to hire an agent for himself.
But agents do more than just negotiate contracts. Agents for draft prospects set up meetings and workouts with NFL teams, and there have been reports that teams have had trouble getting Jackson scheduled for workouts.
The question, then, is whether an agent’s help in setting up meetings and workouts for Jackson with NFL teams would bolster Jackson’s draft stock enough to be worth paying an agent 1 percent to 3 percent of his rookie contract. Jackson and Sherman don’t think having an agent is worth the money. The overwhelming majority of NFL players think it is.
