Today, the NFLPA holds its “boot camp” for new agents in the form of a Zoom session that lasts from 2-5 p.m. Though I’m not an agent, and have never been one, there are questions I’d love to ask (and I encourage them to be asked by someone today). Here’s what’s on my mind.

Director Howell said only one or two players had “matriculated” to the NFL from the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Who gave him that information? This is objectively untrue. More than 20 players were drafted in 2023, the last year of the NFLPA game, and according to the game’s former executive director, Dane Vandernat, 60-80 players went to camps each year. The NFLPA is often accused of turning its back on smaller agents/agencies, and this was the one material advantage they provided to the contract advisors who struggle to get clients into the Shrine and Senior Bowls. It was good for literally thousands of players, as well. If the game is going to be cancelled, agent are deserving of a better reason than that it was ineffective.

It continues to be difficult to get basic questions answered. Has there ever been any thought given to giving Mark Levin, who is over agent affairs, better help? Most agents are big fans of Levin, who truly cares about helping and is, for the most part, responsive. However, when you’re talking about 1,000 agents, about 15 percent of whom are brand new, it’s a tall order to ask one man to handle all their queries. The PA makes plenty of money. Why not give him some help? 

Why is the agent exam held in July? If this continues to be the policy, which coincides nicely with the Oct. 1 registration exam, shouldn’t rookie agents be given some kind of dispensation on Year 1 of the three-year rule? It just makes sense that if the NFLPA is going to expect a $5,000 commitment from new agents who pass the exam, they owe them some kind of head start on the business. The mere fact that it’s almost Thanksgiving and only now is the PA conducting its “boot camp” speaks volumes. Our Zoom sessions took place in late September. Once again, new agents get shafted by the calendar as set forth by the NFLPA.

It was recently announced that the NFL Combine will be held in Indianapolis in 2026, as well as 2025, though there is no guarantee it will stay there going forward. Everyone in the NFL agrees Indy is the best location for all concerned. What kind of pressure have you put on the league to keep it there? The NFLPA, as does the NFL, loves to make money, so it probably isn’t going to stand in the way if the league wants to move the event to Los Angeles, Dallas, Las Vegas, or any of the other proposed destinations. This is great for fans, but not for the people doing the business of the game. The PA has a voice on this if it has any interest in using it. 

The annual meeting for NFL agents will be held at the NFL Combine, in person, for the first time since 2019. Is this a one-time occurrence or will this continue to be the policy, now that the pandemic is behind us? We at ITL continue to hear that the distance between NFLPA staffers and the agents they serve is prohibitive, so this is a good move. In addition, networking between agents, which has its benefits, is almost zero since the Players Association made the exam virtual. There’s something to be gained by meeting in person, especially at the hub of all NFL business, the Combine. We would urge the union to return to this policy indefinitely. 

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