| Football Agent Key Stats | |
|---|---|
| Avg. Salary / year | $50,630 |
| Education | 4+ Years |
| Job Outlook | 10% |
If you are passionate about sports and NFL, are a good communicator, and have great sales skills, then you might like to become a football agent.
A football agent is a sports agent who specifically works with NFL players.
The best football agents know how to negotiate deals and get the best opportunities for their clients.
When you work as a football agent, you’ll constantly be on the hunt for the next big star.
When you sign up a player, you look after a wide range of their needs.
They know you are giving their career the best care, so they can concentrate on playing.
Promotion, sponsorship, training, and legal affairs are all duties of a football agent.
Table of Contents
Education Requirements to Become a Football Agent
It’s likely that you already know about football if you would like to become a football agent.
To be successful in this field, you’ll have to really know your stuff, inside-out.
More than just the game rules and popular players, you’ll also need to know things like coaches, sponsorships and how things like draft picks work.
To become a football agent you don’t necessarily need a college degree.
The truth is though that most people in this field have one.
A four year bachelor’s degree in marketing, public relations, or sports management would be to your advantage.
Not only will it make getting a job easier, but it will also give you the knowledge and skills to succeed as an agent.
To work as a football agent, you will also need to be licensed in the state which you are working.
You will need to sit an initial exam, and then pay an annual fee.
Football Agent Job Description
When you become a football agent, your role will be to promote the career of the players you represent.
A sports agent does so through a wide range of means.
The first part is to find up and coming players, usually on college teams but sometimes at high schools or in minor leagues.
You’ll then need to convince them that you are the best agent for the job.
Training opportunities are also sought out by a football agent.
They may represent a player for some time before they begin to play for the NFL.
They could attend camps or workshops, which an agent will arrange.
A football agent will negotiate contracts with NFL teams.
This will involve conditions like the number of years they are bound to play there for, and the pay they will get.
An agent will also negotiate things like sponsorship.
For senior players, they will organize things like endorsements, television appearances, and book deals.
When you become a football agent, you are responsible for public relations for your players too.
In the beginning of a player’s career, this could mean getting them media exposure.
Later on, it could be to sharpen their image, or smooth over any bumps along the road.
Legal advice is also part of a football agent’s responsibilities.
Often football agents also have law degrees.
This could involve things like contract law in most instances.
Here are some of the major duties of a football agent:
- Keeping up to date with football news and events
- Scouting for talent
- Negotiating contracts and sponsorships
- Looking for and booking media opportunities
- Managing legal affairs
- Organizing training opportunities for a client
Football Agent Salary and Career Path
When you first become a football agent, you will likely start off as an assistant.
With experience you will be able to sign your own players, or given players to manage.
As you prove your abilities, you will have the opportunity to mange those high profile clients.
Working within the NFL, your reputation will spread quickly.
If it’s all good, you should have plenty of potential players looking to be represented by you.
The median salary of a sports agent is $94,000 a year.
Within this in mind, a sports agent only gets paid through a commission.
That is, they earn a percentage of what their clients makes.
If you do a better job for your client, you’ll earn more.
Here are some similar roles that you might also consider:
If you’re passionate about NFL football, then you might like to become a football agent.
It’s challenging to get your start, and plenty of hard work will be involved throughout your career, but there are some excellent rewards available for those who have what it takes to become successful.
The below information is based on the 2021 BLS national averages.
National Average Salary
$51,710Average Salary by State
| State | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Arizona | $50,630 |
| California | $39,350 |
| Colorado | $33,760 |
| Delaware | $40,080 |
| Florida | $77,030 |
| Georgia | $20,660 |
| Idaho | $22,900 |
| Illinois | $51,060 |
| Indiana | $38,410 |
| Iowa | $25,770 |
| Kansas | $38,030 |
| Kentucky | $52,090 |
| Louisiana | $39,810 |
| Maryland | $54,790 |
| Massachusetts | $53,230 |
| Michigan | $31,410 |
| Minnesota | $52,690 |
| Mississippi | $36,230 |
| Missouri | $49,380 |
| Montana | $42,610 |
| Nebraska | $30,630 |
| New Hampshire | $53,550 |
| New York | - NA - |
| North Carolina | $36,820 |
| North Dakota | $41,370 |
| Ohio | $49,380 |
| Oklahoma | $31,660 |
| Oregon | $34,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $29,780 |
| South Dakota | $31,500 |
| Tennessee | $34,800 |
| Texas | $45,570 |
| Utah | $23,670 |
| Vermont | $50,550 |
| Virginia | $31,680 |
| Washington | $38,670 |
| West Virginia | $34,300 |
| Wisconsin | $55,220 |
The top earning state in the field is Florida, where the average salary is $77,030.
These are the top 5 earning states in the field:
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a football agent do?
A football agent is a representative who handles the interests of a professional football player or players (the business and legal deals, in most cases).
Football players that are signing their first contracts while they are still very young cannot understand the legal complexities involved, while experienced athletes need guidance handling the contracts for hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
The typical duties of a football agent usually include handling sponsorships, public relations, and financial planning; negotiating contracts; organizing TV, radio, and digital media appearances; collecting data and analyzing statistics; having expert knowledge of football; networking, and so on.
In a nutshell, a football agent is a professional who is selling his or her clients’ worth to teams in the league.
How much do football agents make?
On average, a sports agent can make a little less than $53.000 per year in the United States.
In case you decide to follow this career path, you can expect to earn anywhere between $29.000 and $98.000 annually.
The salary would certainly depend on a variety of factors – your education and experience level, the client, the location and so on.
The commission for pro football stars’ agents ranges from $11.000 to $600.000 (the National Football League).
How much does it cost to become a football agent?
Football agents can have all sorts of educational backgrounds.
A lot of aspiring football agents complete sports management courses (between $192 and $673 per unit).
Some choose to go for a law degree (otherwise, you would have to hire another person to deal with the legal aspects of the job).
A year in a university can cost you anywhere between $8.000 and $45.000 (and more); the cost depends on a variety of factors (the books, supplies, and accommodation expenses are not included).
Most clients would prefer you to have a Master’s degree in Sport Management (around $12.000).
The fee for the NFLPA certification examination is $2.500.
What is the demand for football agents?
Between 2018 and 2028, the agent and business manager of artists, performers, and athletes job markets are expected to grow by 10%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That is faster than the national average for all occupations in the United States.
The candidates that possess a graduate degree and are certified will have better job perspectives.
Bear in mind that the competition in the field is extremely high.
How long does it take to become a football agent?
It will take you 4 years to obtain a bachelor’s degree (preferably, complete a sports management program).
You can also choose to major in communications, business, finance, law, administration, or accounting.
A master’s degree will typically take you 2 years to obtain (experts recommend going for the Master’s in Sports Management, in case you want to increase your chances of getting hired).
To qualify for the NFLPA certification exam, you should have an undergraduate and postgraduate degree (Masters or Law); you would also have to attend a 2-day seminar in Washington D.C.
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