How Much Do NFL Agents Make?

As the NFL salary cap continues to rise, the league’s top stars are constantly breaking and resetting NFL salary records. Bigger paydays for players also mean bigger totals for how much NFL agents make on commission as well.

That trend should only continue as the NFL continues to dominate the professional sports landscape in the U.S. and aggressively grows its global footprint.

Most NFL players are represented by a small handful of super agents who negotiate the sport’s biggest contracts. Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Jalen Hurts are among the NFL stars represented by prolific agents.

Below, we’ll dive into the ins and outs of how much these agents make.

NFL Agent Salary Overview

Like virtually every other sports and entertainment agent, NFL agents get paid on commission. This commission is almost always 3% of a player’s contract that they negotiate with a team. This is because the 3% mark is the maximum agents are allowed to make on commission as regulated by the NFL Players Association. 

For instance, if a player makes $20 million over the lifetime of his contract with a team, the agent who negotiated that contract earns a commission of $600,000 over the span of that contract.

Agents who also handle endorsement contracts on behalf of their clients can receive a much larger share of those contracts, likely in the range of 10% to 20%, as these contracts are not with teams and thus commissions are not regulated by the NFLPA. These endorsement deals are often much smaller than team contracts, however, especially in the cases of the most recognizable (and highest-earning) NFL stars.

Due to the commission-based nature of NFL agent pay and the existence of super agents noted above, an average annual salary for NFL agents is difficult to ascertain. According to Indeed, the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the average annual salary for all agents and business managers across sports and entertainment at $116,410 per year.

In the case of many NFL agents, however, especially super agents, that per-year number is likely much, much higher.

Highest Paid NFL Agents

NFL agent earnings are not publicly disclosed, but we can determine estimates of those earnings by applying the aforementioned 3% rate to the total worth of contracts that they have negotiated.

Below is a list of the highest-paid NFL agents via data compiled by Forbes and PicksWise in 2022. Please note that these totals have likely increased in the years since then. 

While Joel Segal of WME Sports and Todd France of Athletes First are at the top of this list, France likely is the clear No. 1 after 2025 after negotiating Dak Prescott’s record-breaking $60 million-per-year contract extension with the Cowboys just before the start of the 2024 NFL season. Tom Condon is also likely higher up on this list after negotiating Josh Allen’s six-year contract extension with the Bills worth up to $330 million with a record $250 million guaranteed earlier this offseason.

Another agent likely on or near this list is Klutch Sports president of football, Nicole Lynn, whose highest-profile client is Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Lynn negotiated Hurts’ then-record five-year, $255 million contract extension ($179.3 million guaranteed) with the Eagles in March 2023. 

NFL Agent FAQs

• What percentage do NFL agents take?
  • The NFL Players’ Association caps agent commissions at 3% of the amount their client makes on a contract they negotiated. Most agent commissions are at that amount.
• Is it hard to be an NFL agent?
  • Yes, being an NFL agent is a very competitive and time-consuming line of work. NFL agents negotiate player contracts and act as their clients’ advocate both publicly and privately, helping their clients manage their reputation and responsibilities on and especially off the field.
• How much is the NFL agent’s annual fee?
  •  According to the NFL Players’ Association, the annual fee to remain certified as an agent through the NFLPA is currently $1,500 (subject to change) if you represent fewer than 10 active players, and $2,000 (subject to change) if you represent 10 or more active players.
• Who is Patrick Mahomes’s agent?
  • Patrick Mahomes’ agent is Leigh Steinberg, a veteran NFL agent who also represented Hall of Famers Troy Aikman and Steve Young in their NFL careers.

This article was compiled with information from Forbes, Pickswise, Spotrac, The Washington Post, Indeed, and the Houston Chronicle.

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