This plan didn’t necessarily work out too swimmingly for current Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Russell Okung, who decided to represent himself in free agency a couple years back.
But apparently former Oklahoma quarterback and reigning Heisman winner Baker Mayfield is deciding whether he’s simply going to represent himself following this year’s NFL Draft.
According to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Daily, Mayfield is currently undecided about hiring an agent for coming contract negotiations.
Heisman Trophy winner, QB Baker Mayfield "not sold" on signing with NFLPA-certified agent.
“He is trying to decide between having an agent or not having an agent at all.” SBD: https://t.co/TsERzihK8j— Liz Mullen (@liz_mu11en) January 10, 2018
Under the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, rookie contracts were set to scale based on where players are selected. Though, we’ve seen a recent uptick in issues with players and teams in said negotiations.
That’s primarily had to do with off-set language that enables teams to get out from otherwise guaranteed rookie deals should they move on from a player prior to said contract coming to an end.
As it relates to Mayfield, he’s slated to be a first-round pick in April’s draft. In fact, the Heisman winner could very well be the first quarterback off the board.
The idea here for Mayfield is to avoid paying agent fees during a negotiation that may already be etched in stone based on the current CBA. Then again, there are other factors that need to be taken into account that he simply doesn’t have the knowledge of. That could very well be a detriment for the volatile young signal caller.
It’s definitely something to keep an eye on during the pre-draft process and following April’s draft.