Tag: agent

Report: Free agent Jadeveon Clowney fires his agent, Bus Cook

Former Seattle Seahawk, free agent Jadeveon Clowney, has fired his agent Bus Cook and is considering hiring Kennard McGuire, instead.

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end and current free agent, Jadeveon Clowney, has dominated the news over the last few days. Now, on roster cut morning, Clowney has done it again.

On Saturday, it was reported by Pro Football Talk that Clowney has fired his agent, Bus Cook. Clowney also parted ways with Cook last year, however, only to re-hire him again. The exact timeline of events over the last week or so remains uncertain.

“News of the move comes as the market for Clowney heats up, with the Saints, Titans, and Seahawks all interested,” PFT’s Mike Florio writes. “It’s unknown when the termination of Cook specifically happened, whether Clowney remains in the five-day window that prevents him from hiring a new agent, and whether Cook waived the five-day window.”

Florio does note that Clowney could potentially be looking to hire agent Kennard McGuire. McGuire currently represents Seahawks left tackle Duane Brown and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt.

[lawrence-related id=66782]

Former Saints, XFL defensive back Deatrick Nichols has a new team

The Miami Dolphins added defensive back Deatrick Nichols, formerly of the New Orleans Saints and the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks.

[jwplayer 24FxnrUr-ThvAeFxT]

Another player released by the New Orleans Saints in their opening wave of roster cuts has found a new squad: defensive back Deatrick Nichols, who will join the Miami Dolphins. The move was announced by Nichols’ representatives at Agency 1 Sports Group and the Dolphins on Twitter.

Nichols starred for the short-lived XFL’s Houston Roughnecks earlier this year, pacing the upstart league with three interceptions in five games. When the XFL shuttered its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nichols landed with the Saints. But he didn’t get a fair shake in training camp, having been released weeks before practices began in earnest.

Now he has a new opportunity with the Dolphins, playing in his Miami hometown. But he’ll have to seriously impress in training camp to crack their opening-day roster: the Dolphins boast one of the best three-deep depth charts at cornerback around the league between Xavien Howard, splashy free agent signing Byron Jones, and first-round draft pick Noah Igbinoghene.

He’ll join backup nose tackle Taylor Stallworth as the second player released by the Saints this month to land on his feet. Stallworth accepted an offer with the Indianapolis Colts after being courted by half a dozen teams in free agency.

From a purely analytical perspective, it’s a shame that the Saints weren’t able to trade either player for a late-round draft pick if there was so much interest in their services; but it’s in the players’ interest to decide their own future and choose the best option for them. Hopefully it works out for them.

 

LSU Tigers sports

[vertical-gallery id=36627]

Jameis Winston parts ways with agent after signing below-market Saints deal

New Orleans Saints backup QB Jameis Winston parted ways with agent Joel Segal after signing a one-year, $1.1 million free agent deal.

A new agent will be representing Jameis Winston when the backup quarterback talks shop with the New Orleans Saints next offseason. Rick Stroud reported for The Tampa Bay Times on Monday that Winston parted ways with agent Joel Segal of Lagardere Sports, months after Winston inked a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Saints earlier this summer. It’s far beneath what Winston could have earned as a starter, which drew a firestorm of reactions from NFL fans across social media.

Segal has represented Winston since 2018, having been hired just before Winston returned from a three-game suspension to start the season. He helped hammer out this heavily-discounted Saints deal but won’t be around when Winston returns to the negotiating table.

Notably, Winston’s decision to change agents comes just days after Patrick Mahomes signed a historic contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs to the tune of half a billion dollars. Winston shouldn’t arrive anywhere close to that yearly salary, even if he ends up in a best-case scenario in 2020, but Mahomes’ record-setting deal is the kind of rising tide that lifts all ships. It’s a safe bet that Winston will be expecting something closer to the $60 million his predecessor, Teddy Bridgewater, earned in free agency. But even that may be too low. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out when Winston hires his new agent.

[vertical-gallery id=35554]

Griffin brothers’ agent, Buddy Baker, loses parents to coronavirus

In a heartfelt video shared to Twitter, NFL agent Buddy Baker revealed his parents died six minutes apart from COVID-19 complications.

Buddy Baker, the longtime sports agent and CEO of Exclusive Sports Group, posted a heartfelt message on his Twitter account Tuesday afternoon revealing his parents recently died of complications due to the coronavirus.

Baker represents Seattle Seahawks players Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, as well as former star Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin.

Baker’s parents were married 51 years and were healthy before contracting the virus and developing COVID-19, which killed them six minutes apart from each other.

Baker made the choice to share his story on social media not for sympathy, but as a call to action for folks who aren’t practicing social distancing and are continuing to put people at risk.

“We usually look for a positive thing to be an inspiration,” Baker said. “We hope that what’s happened to us and our family inspires others to start needing and unifying with each other to make the right choice and the challenging choice.”

Baker’s inspirational video in light of such tragedy caught the eye of Baldwin, who shared the video on his own Twitter account.

Our thoughts are with Baker and everyone else suffering loss during this global pandemic.

[lawrence-related id=58585]

Vonn Bell changes representation just weeks before NFL free agency

New Orleans Saints safety Vonn Bell hired DEC Management’s David Canter to represent him in contract negotiations during 2020 free agency.

[jwplayer Ixv61ByY-ThvAeFxT]

The football world has gathered in Indianapolis for this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, creating the first opportunities for many teams to open negotiations with their pending free agents. The New Orleans Saints are no different from any other franchise in this regard, with contract talks starting all around the city in hotel conference rooms, coffee shops, and late-night steakhouses. With free agency right around the corner, it’s crunch time for agents representing those players to get the best offer on the table for their clients.

Sometimes those results are not satisfactory. When spurned by a team’s contract offer (or lack thereof), some players will change representation to find negotiators that are more or less aggressive for their liking. Now, we’re only speculating that Saints safety Vonn Bell followed that line of thinking, but it would make sense considering his contract expires in just a few weeks.

Nola.com’s Amie Just reported Saturday that Bell has changed agencies, having cut ties with agent Chad Speck of Allegiant Athletic Agency. Bell is now represented by David Canter of DEC Management, one of the largest agencies representing NFL players. His roster of clients includes Dallas Cowboys star pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $105 million contract extension last summer.

Don’t be shocked if Canter pushes the envelope quite a bit further with the Saints as negotiations heat up ahead of the NFL’s legal tampering deadline. Teams are allowed to make offers to pending free agents around the league beginning March 16, even if nothing can be signed until March 18, the start of the new league year.

[vertical-gallery id=29257]

Could the Seahawks bring DT Danny Shelton back to Seattle?

The Seattle Seahawks need reinforcements along the defensive line, and former UW tackle Danny Shelton could be a good fit in free agency.

The Seattle Seahawks will be in the market for reinforcements along the interior defensive line in 2020, with the pending free agencies of both Jarran Reed and Al Woods.

Reed is looking to cash in at age 27, and has already made it clear that a price tag of $10 million annually is too low for his liking.

If the Seahawks re-sign Jadeveon Clowney, or pony up for another big name free agent, they’ll have a hard time committing the amount of money necessary to keep Reed – which could send him elsewhere for next year.

If that’s the case, the Seahawks will need to look to the rest of the free agent market, or the draft, to find more interior defensive tackles to join Poona Ford, regardless of whether they bring back Woods.

One option is former University of Washington tackle Danny Shelton. Shelton was a first round pick by the Browns in 2015 and spent three years in Cleveland before joining the Patriots.

Shelton’s first season in New England was subpar, but he rebounded with a nice year in 2019, recording a career-high three sacks with 61 combined tackles, six quarterback hits and one forced fumble while playing in all 16 contests.

Shelton parlayed that performance into an agent swap, hiring the famous Drew Rosenhaus – who represents new Seahawk Greg Olsen as well as Malik McDowell and, formerly, Sidney Rice.

Shelton will command a decent payday, probably in the $4-5 million rang annually, making him a cheap, solid option to replace Reed or Woods if they go elsewhere this offseason.

[lawrence-related id=56532]

After 11 years of negotiating player contracts, Rich Hurtado will try to help Broncos re-sign Justin Simmons

Rich Hurtado, the Broncos’ new vice president of football administration, will try to help the team re-sign safety Justin Simmons.

[jwplayer kVq2xajz-ThvAeFxT]

The Broncos have hired Rich Hurtado as their new vice president of football administration, president of football operations/general manager John Elway announced Wednesday. Hurtado will be responsible for managing the team’s salary cap and negotiating and structuring player contracts.

Before joining Denver’s staff, Hurtado worked for 11 years as an agent/executive for Creative Artists Agency. While at CAA, Hurtado worked with Todd France, managing 70 NFL clients. He helped negotiate over $1 billion worth of free agent deals and more than $1 billion in contract extensions.

As an agent, Hurtado helped negotiate contracts for former Broncos including cornerback Aqib Talib (2014), wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (2015) and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (2016). He will now be tasked with trying to re-sign safety Justin Simmons this offseason.

Simmons is represented by France, who Hurtado worked with at CAA. That could lead to an interesting showdown this offseason between the two former co-workers.

Before becoming an agent, Hurtado spent four years with the Eagles working with the team’s football administration department. He is replacing former salary cap guru/contract negotiator Mike Sullivan, who was not re-signed by Denver when his contract expired earlier this year.

Simmons wants a long-term deal but he is open to a one-year franchise tag if that’s what it takes to remain with the Broncos for the 2020 season.

[vertical-gallery id=631819]

Broncos closing in on deal with Rich Hurtado as V.P. of Football Administration

The Broncos plan to hire Rich Hurtado to serve as their new salary cap expert and contract negotiator.

The Denver Broncos plan to hire former CAA agent Rich Hurtado to be their Vice President of Football Administration, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Hurtado will serve as the team’s new salary cap expert and contract negotiator.

Hurtado spent 11 years working with player agent Todd France and two and a half years working with the Philadelphia Eagles, helping with the team’s salary cap and football administration. It’s perhaps notable that France — Hurtado’s former colleague — represents safety Justin Simmons.

Simmons is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March and Denver hopes to give him a multi-year contract extension. Having Hurtado and France at the negotiating table together might help the Broncos’ chances of agreeing to a new deal with Simmons.

Hurtado is replacing Denver’s former salary cap expert/negotiator Mike Sullivan, who was not re-signed when his contract expired earlier this offseason. Sullivan is yet to land with a new NFL team.

[vertical-gallery id=631819]

Alvin Kamara’s agent joins Klutch Sports; Lakers trade request imminent?

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara will be up for a new contract extension, and his agent Demarius Bilbo just joined Klutch Sports

[jwplayer Y0hsMpqj-ThvAeFxT]
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is under contract with the team through the 2020 season, but he’ll soon be eligible to negotiate an extension. That’s dramatic enough as it is; before the 2019 season, Kamara looked to be in position to join Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott as one of the top-paid young runners in football, thanks to his sky-high efficiency numbers and impressive knack for scoring touchdowns.

Instead, his production trailed off a bit in an injury-plagued campaign, and it’s fair to wonder if he figures into New Orleans’ long-term plans. Considering that other former Saints skills position talent such as Jimmy Graham and Brandin Cooks have been shipped out of town, it’s not impossible to imagine a trade developing should the Saints think they’re getting back fair value.

On Wednesday, Kamara’s looming contract talks with the team took an unexpected turn when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Kamara’s agent, Damarius Bilbo of Revolution Sports, would be joining Klutch Sports. Bilbo will now head Klutch’s football division and bring his roster of agency partners and clients with him beneath Klutch’s banner.

This is noteworthy because of Klutch’s role as antagonists in the Anthony Davis trade saga experienced by New Orleans Pelicans fans last year. Klutch is headed by Davis’s agent Rich Paul, who also represents LeBron James and angled to get both of his top clients together with the Los Angeles Lakers. His heavy-handed negotiating tactics sat poorly with Pelicans fans, though a deal was eventually worked out. So now we’re left asking, tongue very firmly in cheek, whether Paul will try to wrest away another icon from the New Orleans sports scene. Hey, it almost happened in HBO’s “Ballers,” didn’t it?

All jokes aside: this likely means next to nothing for Kamara’s future with the Saints. We’ll find out in just a few months whether the team intends to take a proactive approach with his contract (as they did last summer with Michael Thomas, Cameron Jordan, and Wil Lutz) or if they would rather let him play out his low-cost rookie deal before opening negotiations. All that’s certain right now is how the offseason never seems to pass by quietly in New Orleans.

[vertical-gallery id=26617]