News Articles

New Articles

April 30, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Deja vu Again for Brett?

The annual rite of spring is here. I can’t shake a stick without being asked my thoughts on the plans of one Brett Favre. Of course, this happened even when Brett had not retired and went through his decision-making months after the end of the season from 2005-2007. Read More

April 29, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Wednesday Whys

The Not For Long league is in full swing -- in with the new and out with the old. Many veterans have been, or will be, told their services are no longer needed, including Chris Perry, John Beck, Levi Jones, Brian Young, Rod Hood and now, as predicted here (link) Tuesday, Edgerrin James. Read More

April 29, 2009 - Jack Bechta

Wedding Crashers!

Another challenge I had was keeping my wedding tradition alive. Steiny’s wedding was at night, and I always bring a bottle of tequila to the reception – just ask Matt Bowen. Have you ever tried to pour shots without doing one yourself? I knew that Steiny, his family and guests, who included DE Justi Read More

April 28, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Tuesday Thoughts

It’s always interesting to me that in many cases, the skill sets that lead to eye-popping productivity in college football don’t translate to the NFL. In evaluating some of the top performers in college football, every NFL team decided that some were not worthy of even a low-round draft pick. Read More

April 27, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Monday Money Matters

I understand the natural reaction to the magnitude of the contract the Lions gave to Matthew Stafford, the top pick in this year’s draft, but perhaps the hysteria over rookie salaries should be toned down a bit. Mind you, we are rightfully dismayed at the eye-popping numbers of this contract, yet it Read More

April 26, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

The War Room: Part III

Most of the trading during the draft -- and there’s plenty of it -- involves picks rather than players. Occasionally, players are traded, but the vast majority of exchanges are made so that teams that covet certain players can move up. This is where draft value charts come into play. Read More

April 25, 2009 - Jack Bechta

Boiler Room: NFL Style

April 24, 1996. It was a typically beautiful San Diego day as I finished a beach run to relieve some usual draft-weekend stress. The first round had just started when I got back and saw that Keyshawn Johnson was the first player off the board. I made some breakfast, took a shower and checked the TV Read More

April 24, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

The War Room: Part II

One of the biggest mistakes made in War Rooms, in my opinion, is that decision-makers get emotional and impulsive. Scouts and general managers have scoured the country since July, spending hundreds of hours and millions of dollars putting together all the information that now sits in front of them o Read More

April 24, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Saving Andre Smith

The common wisdom about players and agents is that if an agent tells a player he can get him drafted higher simply by virtue of having him as his agent, then the player should run the other way. This is what I have believed in the overwhelming majority of players, as has my colleague and partner at Read More

April 23, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

The War Room: Part I

The War Room. The mere mention of these words connotes power and significance. I remember the days, weeks and months following the tragedy of September 11 when it was considered inappropriate to use such metaphors, and these rooms were simply called draft rooms. Read More

April 23, 2009 - Jack Bechta

Great Expectations: Part III

In my 23 years an NFL agent, I’ve placed well over 50 players as undrafted free agents (UFA). I used to call this time immediately after the draft “the worst two hours in football.” Read More

April 22, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Wednesday Whys

In a more global sense, this situation occurs throughout the NFL every year; no team is immune. Players commit to long-term contracts with bonus money and/or future guarantees in an amount relative to the length of such contracts. Read More

April 21, 2009 - Jack Bechta

Great Expectations: Part II

I will never forget the panicked look on Leigh’s face and his attempt to look busy with phone calls as Big Ben Roethlisberger continued to slip in the 2004 NFL Draft. He had not been in that situation before, and it was clear he didn’t have a script for his client if he suddenly became the poster ch Read More

April 20, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Monday Money Matters

In a mild upset, there was not one unmatched offer sheet for a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) in the NFL this year. Friday was the last day that an RFA could receive an offer sheet from another team, thereby starting the clock on the matching process. None was received, and the 2009 RFA offer period ha Read More

April 20, 2009 - Jack Bechta

Great Expectations: Part I

There are only 32 first-round picks, but there are about 125 to 150 draftable players who think they’ll be taken in the first round. They might not say it publicly -- and maybe not even privately -- but many of them believe their names will be called some time during the opening round. Read More

April 17, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Friday Financials

Jones-Drew has limited tread on his tires as a result of sharing time with Fred Taylor through the early part of his career. This is a position that teams approach with care. Running back is a “short-area” position like linebacker and strong safety, a position requiring constant acceleration and de Read More

April 16, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

A Taxing Day For NFL Players

Players and agents would also try to use their residence in those states toward better treatment on signing bonus payments. I dealt with countless players and agents from Texas and Florida who wanted language in the bonus riders of their contracts indicating they were residents of those states and t Read More

April 15, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Wednesday Whys

Agent-player relationships can be fragile at this time of year. There are so many people -- friends, family members, other players, competing agents -- feeding players information or misinformation about where they might be drafted or what teams are saying that agents fight a constant battle to keep Read More

April 14, 2009 - Jack Bechta

The Agent's Influence

If you’re an agent controlling one or more of the top 10 picks in the first round, you’re trying to do whatever you can to have your client be the No. 1 selection. If you control several picks in the top 10, you might be trying to dictate some type of draft order among the teams. Read More

April 14, 2009 - Andrew Brandt

Draft Invitees Play Waiting Game

On draft day in 2005, I had the privilege of putting an end to Aaron Rodgers’ misery. Aaron had a respectable chance of being the top pick in the draft by the 49ers, but they opted for Alex Smith and left Aaron to the mercy of the rest of the teams. Read More