How much money do NFL player agents make?

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Behind all the NFL Draft headlines, just aside from the bright spotlight of professional sports, there is network of individuals who are crucial to functioning of the professional game. Every deal, no matter how big or how small, will include some input from player agents, working on behalf of their clients to get the best deal.

Player agents will be working behind the scenes to facilitate all of the NFL Draft deals. In Sports like soccer they are able to operate with comparative freedom, but in the NFL they work within certain restrictions.

Most notably, a cap on their all-important commission. In the NFL agents cannot take more than 3% of their clients’ professional contracts. In the NBA that figure is 4%, but in other sports agents may claim up to 15% of an athlete’s salary.

Things are less restricted when it comes to endorsements, which, for major stars, could even exceed their salary. Here, agents typically take between 10 and 20% of sponsorship income.

Who is the most powerful NFL agent?

In 2022 Forbes collated a list of the most powerful agents in all of sports. In recent years salaries have soared in a number of the world’s most popular sports, a product of greater market penetration and greater commercialisation.

Agents have been a key driving force in that change and some have risen to positions of real influence. Baseball agent Scott Boras was listed as the most powerful sports agent, responsible for $3.8 billion in contracts with commissions worth $191 million in a single year. He negotiated Bryce Harper’s $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The highest-ranking NFL agent was Joel Segal, who comes in a No. 7 on the list and bagged commissions worth $42 million in 2022. Segal is a partner and managing director at WME Sports and represents the likes of Khalil Mack, Christian McCaffrey and Jaylen Waddle.

Segal helped McCaffrey to secure a $64 million four-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, which was subsequently paid up to allow the player to move to the San Francisco 49ers last year. He currently earns a base salary of $12 million per year with the 49ers.