Jay Cutler’s deal to be an analyst on Fox’s NFL coverage, announced this month, was negotiated not by a Hollywood agency or firm specializing in broadcasting work but by Mark Block, who has served as the quarterback’s off-the-field agent for years.
Block is director of marketing and business development for NFL representation firm Elite Athlete Management and owns his own agency, The Block Agency, which represents models, actors and hosts.
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Mark Block (left) and Jay Cutler with Cutler’s sister Jenna
Photo: COURTESY OF ELITE ATHLETE MANAGEMENT
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“It was not a planned career move,” Block said. “The situation presented itself organically.”
Many athletes hire a broadcasting agent when they’re looking to get into TV, and some made some calls when news leaked that Cutler was auditioning for the Fox job, but Block did the deal.
A mutual friend had introduced Block to someone at the network, and they started talking about the possibility of Cutler filling the spot vacated by John Lynch, who left to become general manager of the San Francisco 49ers in January.
“He went out and did a test with [Fox NFL play-by-play announcer] Kevin Burkhardt and he thought it went well and apparently it did, because they hired him,” Block said. “He took this job because it’s what he wants to do, and his football career as of now is over.”
Cutler, 34, an 11-year NFL veteran, has been a free agent since the Bears cut him in March.
Block said he signed a nondisclosure agreement and could not reveal details of the deal, nor would he say with whom he negotiated at Fox.
Cutler had deals with Cadillac, Panini and Nike, but the quarterback “was not a big endorsement guy,” Block said. Block was involved with the Jay Cutler Foundation, which benefits children with diabetes, and negotiated his deal for “The Jay Cutler Show” on ESPN Chicago, which ran from 2012 to 2014.
