When Jameis Winston entered the NFL in 2015 he came with some baggage, but the Buccaneers selected him with the first overall pick anyways. Winston is still in the news for his off-field issues and the recent allegation landed him a three game suspension. When the news dropped that he would be suspended Jameis parted ways with his agent, as well. He had been previously represented by Kenny Felder and Greg Genske. Winston will be searching for a potential suitor in the upcoming season, but news dropped that three major players have come to surface: CAA, Athletes First, and Lagardere Sports.
Creative Artist Agency is based out of Los Angeles, California. This agency represents some of the most highly sought after athletes. Two major athletes they have represented are Derek Jeter and David Beckham. Currently, CAA represents two of Jameis Winston’s teammates in O.J. Howard and Ryan Fitzpatrick. One issue with CAA, is that they were a key part to the cover-up of the Harvey Weinstein harassment and abuse case in December, 2015. This could be something that deters Winston from joining their agency.
Athletes First, is another agency that is trying to represent Winston. This group of agents is the premier group that handles most NFL athletes. They represent Clay Matthews, Earl Thomas, Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Rodgers, Nick Foles, and numerous other players/coaches. They represent both professional and collegiate coaches. This group is also based out of California. They have been known to reach record-breaking deals for athletes in every sport. This will be a hard one for Jameis to turn down if I had to guess.
The last one that will most likely be in the hunt for Jameis Winston is Lagardere Sports. This is an agency led by Joel Segal. They represent clients all over the world, ranging from several sports. Lagardere Sports represents over 70 NFL athletes and that includes 25 players that made the Pro Bowl. They are represented very well across the league. There are already a few Buccaneers represented by this group, including: DeSean Jackson, Kendell Beckwith, Vernon Hargreaves III, and Carlton Davis. This would be another group Jameis will have to take a heavy look at.
Agents are part of the game and their job is to sell athletes to teams around the league. These three agencies do it better than anyone else. Jameis will probably lose some money due to his recent suspension, but if he performs well when he gets back who knows what kind of deal the Buccaneers will need to make in order to keep their franchise quarterback. One would assume, no matter who Winston picks he will demand big money for his services. Only time will tell Bucs fan, but I would assume Jameis will be in Tampa for many years to come.
