The argument about whether an athlete can represent themselves is usually settled by the law, which allows it at every level. The argument about whether they should is settled by the record, and the record is public. This page is every documented case the research found, with the deal, the help the athlete used and what the analysts said afterwards, so the question can be judged on what happened rather than on either side's story.
The cases
| Athlete | Deal | Help used, and how it went |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Allen, Bucks, February 1999 | Six years, $70.9 million extension | Attorney Johnnie Cochran, an accountant, a business manager and a personal lawyer. Allen estimated the saving at more than $2.8 million against a 4% fee. |
| Jaylen Brown, NBA draft, 2016 | Rookie scale contract, Celtics | No agent; an advisory group including Isiah Thomas and an NBPA executive. Hired an agent in 2019. |
| Russell Okung, Broncos, March 2016 | Reported as five years, $53 million | Planned a sports lawyer at a one-time flat fee and thanked the NFLPA. Later analysis and Over The Cap show one year with team options and $0 guaranteed; Denver declined the option in 2017 and he signed with the Chargers for about $13.25 million guaranteed. Widely judged team-friendly. |
| Richard Sherman, 49ers, March 2018 | Three years, up to $39.15 million, $27.15 million base, $3 million signing bonus | His wife helped. Former agent Joel Corry called it "pennywise and pound foolish" and the injury guarantees "inadequate," noting the commission saved was at most $904,500. Sherman earned more than $30 million over the three seasons; the NFLPA helped him collect a $2 million roster bonus. |
| Lamar Jackson, Ravens, 2018 | Rookie deal, four years, $9.5 million | No agent; his mother, Felicia Jones, as manager. |
| Bobby Wagner, Seahawks, July 2019 | Three years, $54 million, $40.2 million guaranteed | The top inside-linebacker deal at the time. No advisers named. He told Laremy Tunsil the process was "pretty easy." |
| Laremy Tunsil, Texans, April 2020 | $66 million extension, $50 million guaranteed | The top-paid offensive lineman at the time, with unnamed advisers. He said the hardest part was "the terminology." |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals, September 2020 | Two years, $54.5 million extension | Left CAA in June 2020 and said he did "90%" of the talks himself, crediting longtime advisers. The top-paid non-quarterback at the time. Later hired "my lawyer, who's an agent." |
| Joel Embiid, 76ers, August 2021 | Four years, $196 million supermax | ESPN: he "represented himself in the negotiations." |
| D.J. Humphries, Cardinals, 2021 | Three-year extension, more than $30 million guaranteed | Told the AP in 2022: "I probably wouldn't do it again." |
| Bobby Wagner, Rams, April 2022 | Five years, $50 million, up to $65 million | His second self-negotiated deal. |
| Laremy Tunsil, Texans, 2023 | Three years, $75 million, $50 million fully guaranteed | His second. |
| Lamar Jackson, Ravens, April 27, 2023 | Five years, $260 million, $185 million guaranteed | At the time the largest contract in the league, after a non-exclusive franchise tag and a public trade request. His mother remained his manager, not a certified agent; the league reminded every club that an offer sheet could be negotiated only with the player himself. |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder, 2025 | Four years, about $285 million supermax (July 2025) | Left his agency in February 2025 to represent himself on his playing contract, keeping a separate firm for marketing. Sportico estimated the saving at about $11 million. Whether he personally negotiated the July deal was not confirmed. |
Also reported but not confirmed well enough to list: that Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. used lawyers rather than agents on their 2024 rookie deals, with the uncertified-representative rule reportedly slowing Williams's; and self-representation by Dalton Risner, Jerome Bettis and Cam Newton, which the research could not substantiate.
What the record shows
The criticism is always about structure. Okung's and Sherman's deals carried the headline numbers their agents would have sought; what the analysts faulted was the guaranteed money and the injury protection, the parts of a contract that take the most reading and the most knowledge of comparable deals. Humphries, who got more than $30 million guaranteed, still said he would not do it again, which says something about the cost in time and stress even when the money is right.
Almost nobody was alone. Allen had a famous lawyer and an accountant. Okung and Sherman leaned on the NFLPA. Brown had an advisory group. Hopkins and Tunsil had advisers. Jackson had his mother. The honest description of self-representation is a lawyer for the paper and the athlete for the talking, with the union's data behind both.
First contracts are the easy case. Since the 2011 NFL rookie wage scale slotted first deals, there is little to negotiate, and the AP reported in 2022 that more players skip the commission and hire a lawyer to vet the terms once a deal is reached. A law professor in the same report said he could think of only "very rare situations" where a player is equipped for a second, third or fourth contract alone. Wagner, Tunsil and Jackson, who did later contracts themselves, are the counterexamples, and all three set records with them.
The split is the arrangement the rules reward. Gilgeous-Alexander represents himself on the playing contract, where the union caps a fee at 4%, and keeps a firm for marketing, where there is no cap. Hopkins went the other way, from self-representation to a lawyer who is also certified. The NBA lets a player hand the playing contract to the union itself. The choice is the athlete's, and the law leaves it there.
The count
The NFLPA counted 17 players acting as their own agent in 2022, in a league of more than 2,000, and no newer figure was found. The union says it does not recommend teams or deals but provides comparative data, analysis and CBA guidance to any player who asks. No NBPA count was found.
What the rules required of each
Every case above ran inside a rule: the NFLPA's "a player representing himself," the NBPA's "a Player representing himself or the NBPA at the request of the Player," the NFL's five-day written notice for free agents, and the bar on any uncertified person at the table, a mother included. The NFL page and the NBA page set each rule out.
How Leave fits
Leave is built for the athlete who does this: it explains each contract in plain words with the guarantees, the dates and the money laid out, which is the part of these deals the record says matters most, and keeps every deal in one place. It takes 0% from the athlete. It does not negotiate, represent or sign for anyone, and it is not legal advice. The athlete, or the lawyer they bring, does the rest.
Questions athletes ask
Which NFL players have negotiated their own contracts?
On the record, Russell Okung (2016), Richard Sherman (2018), Lamar Jackson (2018 and 2023), Bobby Wagner (2019 and 2022), Laremy Tunsil (2020 and 2023), DeAndre Hopkins (2020) and D.J. Humphries (2021). The NFLPA counted 17 players acting as their own agent in 2022; no newer count was found.
Which NBA players have negotiated their own contracts?
Ray Allen (1999, $70.9 million extension), Jaylen Brown (went through the 2016 draft with no agent), Joel Embiid (2021, $196 million supermax) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who left his agency in February 2025 to represent himself on his playing contract while keeping a firm for marketing.
Did the self-negotiated deals turn out well?
Mixed, and the criticism was consistent. Okung's 2016 deal was reported as $53 million but was effectively one year with team options and no guaranteed money; Denver declined the option. Joel Corry called Sherman's 2018 deal "pennywise and pound foolish" with "inadequate" injury guarantees. D.J. Humphries said "I probably wouldn't do it again." Wagner, Tunsil, Hopkins and Jackson set positional or league pay records with theirs.
Did they do it completely alone?
Almost none did. Ray Allen had attorney Johnnie Cochran, an accountant, a business manager and a lawyer. Okung planned a flat-fee lawyer and thanked the NFLPA. Sherman's wife helped and the NFLPA recovered a $2 million bonus. Jaylen Brown had an advisory group. Jackson's mother was his manager. Hopkins credited longtime advisers. Wagner is the exception; no advisers were named.
Why do rookies negotiate their own deals more often?
Since the 2011 NFL rookie wage scale slotted first contracts, there is little left to negotiate. The AP reported in 2022 that more players skip the commission and have a lawyer vet the terms once a deal is reached. A law professor quoted in the same report could think of only very rare situations where a player is equipped to handle a second, third or fourth contract alone.
Be your own agent. Leave.