The trio of GM Joe Douglas, head coach Adam Gase and quarterback Sam Darnold will be tasked with leading the Jets into the future. That’s not all they have in common, though. In addition, they’re all represented by the same agent, Jimmy Sexton.
When it comes to football, this is the sports agent equivalent of the winning the Triple Crown. General manager, head coach and quarterback are the three most powerful jobs in a team’s organization, and Sexton is negotiating on all of their behalves.
Sexton works for Creative Artists Agency, one of the biggest sports agencies in the country. He attended the University of Tennessee in the 1980s, where he signed his college roommate, defensive end Reggie White, to his first sports contract in 1984. Since then, he was named the 28th most important sports agent of 2018 by Forbes. He represents other athletes including Julio Jones, Philip Rivers and Jimmy Graham.
Sexton is known as a fantastic negotiator, which doesn’t seem like a stretch given the report that Douglas turned down several Jets offers before eventually accepting a six-year contract as a first-time general manager.
Representing the Jets’ GM, coach and quarterbacks is great for Sexton’s bank account, but it could create quite the quandary for the Jets in the future. Darnold told ESPN’s Rich Cimini that it’s “convenient” for him, Douglas and Gase to have the same agent, but it won’t be when Douglas is negotiating Darnold’s contract in three or four years.
For better or worse, Sexton will — and already has — play a key role down the line. As previously mentioned, Darnold will be up for a new contract in a couple of years, while Gase probably signed close to a four-year deal earlier this year. Douglas signed a six-year contract, so he’ll be around for a while.
The Jets have their foundation for the future in Douglas, Gase and Darnold. Hopefully, the common denominator of Sexton won’t disrupt the Jets’ new power structure.
