Quarterback Jalen Hurts has agreed to a five-year, $ 255 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, including $ 179.3 million guaranteed, one of the biggest contracts in NFL history, according to NFL Network.
Hurts, 24, will now have the highest average annual value ($ 51 million) of any player in the NFL, and he can thank his agent: Nicole Lynn.
Lynn, 34, is one of the up-and-coming agents in the NFL, and is president of football operations for Klutch Sports Group, the agency founded by LeBron James confidant Rich Paul.
A former Wall Street financial analyst with multiple FINRA certifications, Lynn worked at sports management company PlayersRep until 2021 before she moved to Klutch. She also owes her business relationship with Hurts to an Instagram direct message.
“Hey, have you picked an agent? If not, I’d love to link,” Lynn’s cold DM to Hurts read in January 2020. Lynn later described the DM to Sports Illustrated as “a total Hail Mary“
Hurts, who like Lynn attended the University of Oklahoma, agreed to met with her and was impressed.
“History everywhere. I feel like regardless of the perception of what it may seem to [be] with an African-American woman agent, I really saw something in her and I feel like she’s a grinder — she’s going to go get it,” Hurts told Boardroom in February about Lynn. “Kinda like myself, no one expects you to do much. I feel like we saw eye-to-eye in terms of hunger and determination to succeed, and she’s making history.”
As of 2022, of the more than 900 NFLPA-certified agents, just 67 are women.
Lynn has only been working as Klutch’s top NFL agent for less than two years, but already has an impressive client portfolio. Her other notable NFL clients include Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett, Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe, Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal and top 2023 NFL Draft prospects Bijan Robinson and Will Anderson Jr.
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Her trailblazing accolades are vast. She became the first female sports agent for PlayersRep in 2015, the first Black woman to represent a top-three NFL Draft pick in 2019, and the first Black woman to represent a Super Bowl participant in 2023 in Hurts.
The agent commission standard for NFL players is 3%, although exact figures may vary. Assuming Hurts plays out his entire contract, Lynn would net over $ 7 million in commissions from that deal alone.
Representatives for Lynn did not respond to MarketWatch’s request for comment on this story.
Lynn did send out a tweet on Monday afternoon after reports of Hurts’ deal became public, saying that she found the Brinks truck she had been looking for.
Hurts’ new deal will pay him $ 51 million annually, the most in NFL history and the highest of any athlete in the four major American sports leagues.
The deal has the third-most total value in NFL history at $ 255 million, only trailing fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
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Jalen Hurts ranks third on overall quarterback contract value.
Spotrac
Philadelphia went 14-1 in his starts and he had 3,701 yards passing, 760 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns combined in the regular season. He led the Eagles to the top seed in the NFC and a playoff victory over the New York Giants and over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game.
Read on: How Patrick Mahomes makes his money: Adidas, Whoop and the Chiefs