(ThyBlackMan.com) The 2023 NFL Draft is nearly here and one of the more important figures of the 2023 NFL off-season will finally have a home. Former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young made history as the first Heisman-winning QB in the illustrious history of that football program and sports fans throughout the country are interested in seeing his transition to the NFL for several reasons including his “perceived” weakness of his size. Although the NFL is at its “off-season” with no games being played, there are several figures who are important and dominate the headlines this off-season for different reasons. Young’s NFL potential and landing spot makes him one of those figures.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is an important NFL figure virtually all year and this off-season is no exception. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and his imminent departure from Green Bay is substantial. Fellow quarterback Lamar Jackson has been one of the most fun players to watch in the NFL since entering the league but his contract situation and his unique circumstance of not having an agent also makes him a key figure of this off-season. However, Nicole Lynn is also one of the important figures of the 2023 NFL off-season, which might surprise casual sports fans who are not familiar with her.
Nicole Lynn, a University of Oklahoma graduate, is the president of football operations and a sports agent at Klutch Sports. Lynn became the first African/Black female sports agent at NFL agency PlayersRep, which was acquired by Lil Wayne’s agency, Young Money APAA Sports Agency in 2017. Lynn signed her first client when she was only 26 years old and has a competitive personality that many sports fans associate with the usual white male sports agent. She made some history when she represented a top three draft pick in Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who was selected with the third overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Williams is coming off his most productive NFL season in 2022, is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and looks to be one of the building blocks of a New York Jets team led by defense that is a big reason Aaron Rodgers wants to land there in the first place. Lynn remains his agent and the negotiations of his potential NFL contract may even have Aaron Rodgers ramifications.
One of the stories of Super Bowl LVII was the QB matchup between Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts being the first Super Bowl matchup of African/Black starting quarterbacks in the game’s history. Hurts is also represented by Lynn and he just agreed to a five-year, $255 million extension to become the highest-paid player in NFL history. While Hurts was a well-known name in college football during his playing days for Alabama and Oklahoma, he was not perceived as a NFL prospect that would eventually sign a record-breaking contract.
Lynn secured that deal which also includes a no-trade clause, which is a first in Eagles history, which is also impressive considering it was negotiated by Lynn and something former Eagles quarterback stars Donovan McNabb or Carson Wentz was able to secure. Nicole Lynn’s standard setting work in getting the Jalen Hurts contract done and her negotiations of Jets defensive building block Quinnen Williams means she is one of the most important figures of the 2023 NFL off-season.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines