Getty Image / Scott Taetsch
Lamar Jackson’s difficulty landing a long-term contract that he finds suitable has had fans talking a lot more than usual about NFL agents.
In fact, they probably haven’t spent this much time talking about agents since Drew Rosenhaus was making television appearances to talk about Terrell Owens.
While we’ve all been focusing on Jackson’s lack of an agent, we seem to have missed the fact that there is actually another QB currently in the NFL who has never had an agent.
According to ESPN’s John Keim, Jacoby Brissett revealed today that he hasn’t ever had the desire to hire an agent.
Brissett said he's never had a desire to hire an agent. "Saving money is always worth it," he said. Of Lamar Jackson, he says, "I don't see anything wrong with repping yourself."
— John Keim (@john_keim) March 16, 2023
The fact that this hasn’t been an issue for Brissett should definitely not convince Jackson he still doesn’t need an agent because there is one huge difference between Brissett’s situation and Jackson’s. Birssett has never tried to sign a contract anywhere near as big as what Jackson is looking for right now.
Despite spending multiple full seasons as a starting quarterback, the largest contract Brissett has ever signed was for $30 million over 2 years.
In fact, his career earnings are less than what Jackson seemingly confirmed the Ravens were offering per year. Brissett has earned just over 43 million dollars in his career as of the end of the 2022 season.
The 3/133 that the Ravens reportedly offered would have an average salary of $44.33 million.
The fact that Brissett has managed to have as lucrative of a career as he has without an agent is admirable and he even managed to secure himself an $8 million deal from the Commanders for next season even though they are planning on Sam Howell being their starter.
Brissett has proven that you can make it through an NFL career without an agent, but unfortunately for Lamar Jackson, the same isn’t true of trying to negotiate massive fully-guaranteed deals without one.