Football coaches representation agency Collective Sports Advisors has signed new coaching clients, including Brandon Staley, and negotiated his deal to become the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams.
CSA also signed Jeff Howard and negotiated his deal to become defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.
Both coaches are represented by agency founder Richmond Flowers III, who orchestrated the two deals. Howard was previously the assistant defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Staley was previously the outside linebackers coach with the Denver Broncos.
Staley replaced veteran coach Wade Phillips, and his hiring was treated as a bit of a surprise by some in the media. He’s 37 and was hired by 34-year-old Rams head coach Sean McVay. Flowers said some were surprised not only because of his age, but because of the length of his experience in the NFL.
Collective Sports Advisors founder Richmond Flowers III (right) counts San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh among his clients.Collective Sports Advisors
He was linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears from 2017-19 and outside linebackers coach for the Broncos before his new position with the Rams.
Flowers represents about 30 coaches in the NFL, including Bears head coach Vic Fangio. He also represents Patrick Graham, the new defensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the New York Giants, and Anthony Weaver, the new defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, and negotiated those deals.
Last week, most coaches were working from home, like the much of the country. “They are all working off their iPad, and they are able to communicate via FaceTime,” Flowers said. His clients use iPads to watch game film in preparation for the NFL draft, which is what most were doing last week, he said.
Asked what they were saying about the change in workplace, Flowers said, “Honestly, all they are telling me is they are transitioning to their houses and working from home. We all know the demanding schedules they keep, and they kind of take it in stride,” he said.
Flowers formed his agency in 2018 and also runs a sister company, called the QB Collective, which is a pro-style development pipeline for quarterbacks. He recently hired Adam Provost as chief operating officer for the QB Collective and CSA.
Provost formerly worked as vice president of strategy for USA Football, the national governing body for American football in the U.S.
■ RADEGEN SIGNS OLYMPIC HOPEFULS: Radegen, an agency specializing in athlete marketing and management, has signed five-time Olympic medalist sprinter Justin Gatlin, as well as other athletes pointed toward this summer’s Olympic Games.
Radegen has also signed U.S women’s beach volleyball players Kelly Claes and Emily Day, as well as Canadian women’s beach volleyball player Brandie Wilkerson. Additionally, the agency has signed LPGA Tour player Jenny Shin.
Agent Ryan Henderson is representing all of the new athlete clients.
For Gatlin, who just turned 38, it will be his fourth Olympics, if he qualifies at the trials and if the Games are held as scheduled. He specializes in the 100 and 200 meters and won gold at the 2017 World Championships and gold at the 2004 Olympics.
His goal is to compete in the 2020 Olympics and 2021 World Championships before he retires. Radegen is focused on post-retirement opportunities, including speaking and podcasts, as well as marketing opportunities, Henderson said. “He is very inspirational,” he said.
The track and field trials were scheduled for Portland in mid-to-late June.
Gatlin was training last week in South Florida, and his regimen was not adversely affected by the coronavirus, Henderson said. “They train outside, and it’s a small group,” Henderson said.
Meanwhile, new client Emily Day was training on the beach in Southern California last week after her gym was closed. “They are still doing workouts on the strand while they are permitted,” Henderson said.
Day also owns a math and science tutoring company and last week expanded her company to online and virtual sessions so students home from school as a result of the coronavirus can get lessons.
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
