NFL agent Todd France has officially joined CAA Sports, bringing about 50 clients with him, including Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.
France will lead CAA Football’s practice alongside Tom Condon and Jimmy Sexton and will report to CAA Sports co-heads Michael Levine and Howard Nuchow. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
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Demaryius Thomas is among the clients moving with France.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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The addition of France’s clients will bolster CAA Football’s roster to upward of 130 NFL players, and although other firms have more than 100 NFL players, few can boast the same quality. CAA Football now has 27 players on the 2015 NFL Top 100 list chosen by players, more than any other agency. CAA Sports now represents 31 players on this year’s Pro Bowl rosters. France’s other clients include Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib, Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and rookie Atlanta Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley.
“Our football group is without a doubt the very best in the business,” Nuchow said. “Todd is known in the industry for his integrity, tenacity and dedication to his clients, and he and his team will be an incredible addition to CAA Sports.”
All seven employees of France’s former Five Star Athlete Management, including the two agents certified to represent NFL players, Brian Ayrault and Ben Renzin, have now joined CAA Sports. All employees will continue to work out of France’s offices in Atlanta.
CAA Sports’ acquisition of Five Star Athlete Management had been rumored in the industry for months; reports in July had CAA and France completing the details of the deal. It became official Sept. 18.
The closing of the deal was almost a year to the day after billionaire Terry Pegula relinquished his interest in Five Star to satisfy NFL conflict-of-interest rules, as part of his purchase of the Buffalo Bills.
But France, in a telephone interview last week, said the timing of the sale to CAA Sports was a mere coincidence and not tied to any contractual restriction.
“I absolutely did not have to do this,” France said.
France said he talked to other agencies that expressed interest in buying his firm. “I won’t name them, but I will say there were at least four,” France said, including some looking to get into sports.
Joining CAA Sports, he said, “was an obvious decision,” pointing to the array of services clients can use while in the NFL as well as after their playing career.
Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency launched CAA Sports in 2006. It represents more than 1,000 athletes worldwide in areas such as licensing, endorsements, speaking, philanthropy, video games and digital content, in addition to contract negotiations. It also has large broadcasting and coaches divisions and access to the Hollywood agency’s vast resources in entertainment, including film, television and music.
“In this business, you are always looking at what can you provide for your players, how can you do more than what everyone else is doing,” France said. “Whether it’s the corporate connections they have, whether it’s broadcasting, whether it’s the coaching division, whatever they have is the best of the best in the industry.”
France launched his firm as a stand-alone NFL practice in 2003 after starting his career in sports at Atlanta-based CSE. As reported in May, France is one of two NFL agents who have personally represented multiple first-round picks since 2008. (The other is Joel Segal of Lagardère Sports.)
Condon works out of Creative Artists Agency’s office in Nashville, and Sexton has an office in Memphis. The football practice previously had a third co-head, Ben Dogra, but Dogra was let go last November.
Recruiting season for next year’s NFL draft is underway. “We are taking a strategic approach to who we target and how we go about it, but it is a group effort, a team effort,” France said.
France has recruited against Condon and Sexton for years. He said he always respected them and now looks forward to learning from them.
Said Sexton: “Todd and his team are a tremendous addition to our group, and we are thrilled to have them on board. We look forward to combining our resources to best serve our clients.”
