Giants left tackle Ereck Flowers is slated to receive a fully guaranteed $14.4 million contract as the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft. And he won’t have to pay a commission to an agent.
Flowers, one of just 12 draft picks who hasn’t signed his rookie contract yet, did not hire an agent. He told NJ.com that negotiations are “going good” and he is confident about getting the deal done before the start of training camp.
That shouldn’t be difficult: The Collective Bargaining Agreement gives teams and draft picks very little room to negotiate rookie contracts. A player could sign his deal on draft night because there just isn’t much of anything to discuss.
In fact, it’s a little surprising that more rookies don’t forego hiring an agent. The players’ union can look over a contract to make sure it complies with the CBA, at no expense to the player. And a player can hire a lawyer to read his contract at an hourly rate (as Flowers has done) and make sure everything looks OK.
The vast majority of rookies still hire agents to help them with everything from organizing pre-draft visits to lining up endorsement opportunities. But players like Flowers who decline to hire an agent may become more commonplace in the future. It’s a good way for a player to keep more of his rookie paychecks.
