#238: 2021 NFL Free Agency Special (Interview with agent Ken Sarnoff)

1.  We are approaching the one-year anniversary of the NFLPA’s ratification of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. It was ratified by a very slim majority thanks in part due to COVID-19. I was STRONGLY opposed to it personally because I don’t think the players got nearly enough in return for the 17th regular season game. How did most of your clients view it then, and how do you view it now? 

2. Due to the pandemic-related drop in the salary cap, this free agency period promises to be unlike any other. Outside of a few couple dozen big name free agents, we could see the VAST majority of players on the open market settle for one or two-year deals. If you had to make a guess, what percentage of free agents will sign one-year or two-year deals and how many game-changing market setting deals will we see?

3.  As many NFL fans sadly don’t know, such news headlines that say “Player X signs a five-year, $120 million contract,” are blatantly misleading. The way NFL contracts are constructed, the overall length and total value of a deal aren’t a given. The only main givens are the signing bonus, the amount of money fully guaranteed at signing, and the cash flow in the first three years. If you had a client who made multiple Pro Bowls and the team’s final offer set the market in the latter three metrics, but not the former two, would you be inclined to accept such an offer? 

4.  We are 50 days away from the 2020 NFL Draft. Have any prospects signed up with you or your agency, and if so, whom?

5. If the Texans do not trade Deshaun Watson by late August and remain dug in, would you advise Watson to be willing to sit out the entire 2021 season if you were his agent?

6.   What was the most grueling contract negotiation you went through in order to get the best possible deal for your client?