A union wrote the cap. Playing contracts are negotiated with a team, and the players in that league have a union that certifies agents and sets the most an agent may charge. Endorsement deals are negotiated with a brand, no union certifies the agent, and no rule sets a maximum. College and high school athletes have no union at all. So the same agent who may take 3 percent of an NFL contract can take whatever percentage the athlete signs for on a marketing deal.
What the caps are
The NFLPA's regulations say the maximum fee a contract advisor may charge is three percent of the compensation the player receives in each season covered by the contract the advisor negotiated. Lower caps apply to some one-year tenders: two percent for a player on a franchise, transition or restricted free agent tender, and one and a half percent the second time.
The NBPA's regulations say an agent may receive no more than four percent of the compensation negotiated for each season when the player earns above the league minimum, unless the player and the agent agree to less. On a minimum contract the fee is a smaller fixed amount, and on a first-round rookie scale contract the four percent applies only to the part above the guaranteed eighty percent.
Both unions put the number in the standard contract the athlete signs, with a blank for a lower figure. The athlete initials the fee.
Why the caps exist
The unions bargained with the leagues for the salary structure, and they certify every agent who negotiates inside it. A certified agent agrees to the union's rules as a condition of working, and the fee cap is one of those rules. The union's reasoning is plain: the agent's job on a playing contract is bounded by a collective bargaining agreement that already sets minimums, maximums and the rookie scale, so the fee should be bounded too.
Why there is no cap on the rest
An endorsement deal is a contract between an athlete and a company. No league is party to it, so no union has the standing to regulate it. The NFLPA and NBPA regulations say so themselves: the cap counts only compensation under a contract negotiated with a club. Marketing income is outside the definition.
College and high school athletes are outside the system altogether. There is no players' union, no certification, and in most states no fee rule. ESPN reported in February 2026 that street agents working college and high school NIL deals take 15 to 30 percent, with a median near 20 percent, and quoted the head of the Texas High School Coaches Association calling the situation "almost at a crisis." Sports Illustrated reported in April 2026 that two out of three high school athletes who had help with an NIL deal had signed an agreement giving up a percentage. Florida considered a cap on NIL agent fees and did not pass it.
On a $12 million NBA contract the cap holds the fee to $480,000. On a $12 million career in endorsements there is no cap, and at 20 percent the fee is $2.4 million.
What the difference adds up to
The percentage follows the deal for its whole term. A playing contract fee stops at 3 or 4 percent of each season's pay. A marketing fee of 15 to 20 percent applies to every payment under that deal, for as long as it runs, and many representation agreements say the percentage continues on renewals and on deals signed later with the same brand.
For an athlete who never signs a playing contract, which is most of them, every dollar is marketing income. There is no cap anywhere in the picture unless the athlete writes one into the agreement, or declines the percentage altogether.
What Leave does with this
Leave is software. It reads any contract back in plain language, labels its six parts, and shows the dates and the money. It takes 0 percent of any deal. The athlete decides what to sign and sends it themselves.
Questions people ask
What is the most an NFL agent can take from a playing contract?
Three percent of the compensation for each season the agent negotiated, under the NFLPA's regulations. Some one-year tenders carry lower caps of 2 percent or 1.5 percent.
What is the most an NBA agent can take from a playing contract?
Four percent of the compensation for each season, under the NBPA's regulations. On a minimum contract the fee is lower, and a lesser percentage can be agreed.
Is there a cap on endorsement or NIL deal fees?
No. The union caps apply only to contracts negotiated with a team. Endorsement, marketing and NIL deals fall outside them, and no union covers college or high school athletes at all.
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