You’ve heard me say in this space before that players hold all the cards in the agent-client relationship. That’s one reason why this is such a crazy business, and why things are so volatile for contract advisors. I came across a real-life illustration of this last week.

In December of 2013, a first-year-certified agent contacted me to tell me it looked like he had his first client, and he was in an all-star game, to boot. I shared his excitement and congratulated him, but as we went forward with the conversation, it became clear my friend had only received a commitment, and not a signed Standard Representation Agreement (SRA). That’s something else entirely. His would-be client was getting ready to go to an all-star game, a place that would be crawling with agents. Early in the week, agents would be able to access my list of players without representation and cherry-pick the best prospects. I explained all of this to him, and urged him to get a signed SRA as soon as possible.

Well, just as I had feared, disaster struck. The young man went to his game, got recruited by an experienced agent (a good guy who’s also an ITL client) and signed with him. Along the way, he gave his ‘first agent’ some cockamamie story about getting pressured by game organizers to give an agent’s name, and because he hadn’t technically signed an SRA with the first guy, he felt he had to pick representation at the game.

At any rate, I got behind on my agent termination lists this fall and got caught up last week. In the process of doing so, I noticed that the player had already switched from his first agent. That’s not altogether unusual; once a player makes an NFL team, he’s often taken under the wing of a veteran, and one of the first things the vet does is introduce him to his agent. However, it was quite unusual to see that, the following month, he changed again, to a third agent. That made three formal agent agreements (plus a ‘commitment’ to the first agent) in the space of 12 months. That’s pretty wild.

I can’t say this is usual — in fact, it’s quite unusual — but there’s certainly nothing barring him from changing representation every month of his NFL career. Of course, his first agent is still getting paid on the deal the young man signed when he entered the league, but as long as there are agents out there willing to ‘work’ for him without getting paid until his next deal, he can keep firing and signing, firing and signing.

That’s one of the unusual aspects of the NFL, but one you need to understand if you’re weighing becoming a contract advisor.

Here’s an observation from my time at the combine last week that may be funny to no one but me. There’s a quick way to distinguish young (i.e., inexperienced) agents from seasoned, experienced ones: what they talk about when they bump into me at a hotel, in a hallway, outside the agent seminar, or whatever.

If an agent is seasoned, at some point, he’ll ask me (or I’ll ask him) how long I’m in Indianapolis (or Mobile, or St. Petersburg, or whatever). If the agent is less seasoned, he’ll pretty much slip into ‘sell’ mode at some point. Let me explain.

More seasoned agents have good clients. They know that some will be drafted and some not, and where they’ll generally fall on draft day. They know the expenses of things, they know best- and worse-case scenarios ahead, and pretty much know the landscape. For that reason, when I bump into them, there’s really not much to say after we cover family, weather, details of their flight in, etc.

I mean, almost all my clients are my friends, and that includes hundreds of agents, many of them some of the bigger contract advisors in the business. We have genuine regard for each other, but it’s almost passe’ to talk about player issues. So we make small talk, which inevitably leads us down the path to an awkward silence, at which point, one of us asks, ‘so how long are you here?’

It’s like pulling the ripcord on a conversation. It’s like reaching for the oxygen mask in a fire. You know it buys you an extra couple seconds while you wait for the elevator, or a client arrives in the lobby, or whatever. It’s not that you don’t want to talk. It’s just that time is limited and you’re not going to go into any kind of in-depth conversation, so rather than launch down a path that could lead to a five-minute dialogue, you try to keep it light. So you ask the inevitable question, unless you’re a new agent.

If you’re a new agent, pretty much any time is a good time to give a point-by-point rendering of your clients’ strong suits. Hey, I understand. It’s exciting to talk about clients, especially when you’re in your first year, and their possibilities. Still, the thing is, I’m not the guy that needs to hear this. I’m neutral in all of this. I’m like a ref. I’m Switzerland. I’m rooting for all my clients, but I have no power over getting them drafted, or signed as UDFAs, or whatever. So I mostly smile and nod when they start in about their players’ 40 times, or how they got jobbed by their coaches, or what a great kid they are, or whatever. I mean, I share their enthusiasm. It’s just that it can lead to long, awkward visits to ‘smile and nod’ land.

I totally (TOTALLY) don’t mean to sound dismissive when I write this. That passion that young agents have is what keeps them going during the challenging times in this business, and those times are many. I want them to be upbeat, and they deserve to be. That’s why I’m always happy to hear them recount their clients’ strengths. It’s just funny to see the metamorphosis as they mature in the business.

Just got off the phone with a former NFLPA-licensed agent. He got out of the business about three years ago after experiencing some initial success but ultimately realizing that he couldn’t keep up with the financial demands of the business. Here are three things I took from our conversation.

1. He misses the game dearly: My friend didn’t want to admit it, but I know he wishes he were still in. Even though the money associated with the game is daunting (he had several investors, and I doubt any of them got any return on their commitments), there’s just no high like saying you did the contract of an NFL player; that you identified that player as a future star, and he became one; and that you can walk among others in the business and know you are succeeding, if only for a little while (in his case). It’s a non-drug high that never really goes away, as long as you are ‘winning’ in the business. Of course, winning isn’t easy . . . .

2. His strategy was all wrong: My friend eventually got worn down by the chase for the next big prospect. He made choices that ultimately took him down a path out of football. The irony is that he got into the game just before combine training was becoming a major part of recruiting, and was able to sign a player who became a solid NFL starter. Eventually, that wasn’t enough, and he had to chase big names, maybe to satisfy his own ego. Had he tried to find other hidden gems, making a reasonable investment but not breaking the bank, maybe he could have sustained his success.

3. He’s looking for something to fill that void: My friend hasn’t walked away from sports entirely, and has tried his hand at a number of ventures. Some are related to representation, some to event coordination, but none football-related. I know that’s something he misses, no matter what he says. There’s just no other game like football for action, for theater, for all the things young men (and women, to some degree, but especially men) seek in life.

I know I’ve said this often, but if you aspire to make this game your career, know that it’s an addiction you’ll probably carry with you to your grave, whether you succeed or not. I hope you go for it, but if you do, go for it with all your heart, because this is not the kind of career that fits neatly into a drawer or a closet.

For the second part of War Story Wednesday, we continue our conversation with Howard Shatsky (@HowardShatsky), who has a unique perspective on sports representation given his almost three decades in the league. Today, Howard discusses a recent recruiting experience that has become all too common, plus discusses the way money has come to influence the industry in a negative way.

A few years ago I met with a player with a second- or third-round NFL grade and his father. Having spoken with his coaches and many of my NFL contacts, my conclusion was the player would be drafted in the sixth or seventh round, at best. The first thing the player’s father expressed to me was, “Just so you know, we want $15,000 up front from whomever we sign with.

“No disrespect to your 25 years of experience,” the father continued, “but I don’t think that matters. My son is going to be drafted in the second or third round based solely on his talent, and that has nothing to do with you.”

When I gave my assessment of where the player would be drafted, I was told, “You are crazy; all the other agents are telling us different.” He ended up signing with an agent who had very little experience, though he did give the young man the $15,000 he and his father were looking for. The player was not drafted, signed as a free agent, was released before training camp, picked up by another team and than released again. Thus, based on the initial upfront payment and various expenses, on that one player alone, the agent lost approximately $20,000.

I wish I could tell you this was unusual, but in this day and age, the vast majority of players make their agent decision based on how much money an agent is willing to spend to obtain them as a client. In my opinion, this is not a good thing for the industry. Back in the old days, if an agent had two or three first-round picks, that was a great year. The large firms in the industry now routinely sign up to eight first-round picks. Is that because that many players suddenly decided a big agency was what they needed? I don’t think so.

I am often asked how to get into the agent business, and over the years my answer to that question has changed. When I am asked that now, my answer is to have very rich parents, or someone that is willing to loan you a lot of money. One of the issues is, are agents getting value for the money they spend to sign players?

Whenever I am asked about that, I think about the fact that the best player I ever worked with was (former Giants DE) Michael Strahan, and somehow, despite the fact he did not work out with a personal trainer for the combine, he was still able to make the Hall of Fame! In my opinion, when players are selecting an agent, they should not only consider how much the agent is willing to spend on them, but the experience and commitment that person has to his clients.

Howard Shatsky started his career at the NFLPA and has been working with NFL players since 1989. Howard currently represents NFL players for his own firm, Professional Football Management, and represents coaches for the firm, Coaches, Inc. You can follow Howard on Twitter at @HowardShatsky.