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NFL AGENCY · 17 CLIENTS

The Institute for Athletes NFL clients and what they earn

$361,890,609 of career earnings negotiated for 17 clients, led by Jonathan Allen on $94,045,241.

The Institute for Athletes is 12th of the 162 firms with a client on record on career earnings, and 19th of the 52 with five clients or more on money per client. The figures are what the players were paid rather than what the firm collected: an agent's fee is capped at 3% of the contract.

CLIENT EARNINGS $361.9m
PER CLIENT $21.3m
CLIENTS 17
IN THE LEAGUE NOW 6
STILL CONTRACTED $4.8m

The richest careers on the The Institute for Athletes book

Money paid across a whole career

Jonathan Allen $94.0m

Jonathan Allen $94m Adam Thielen $83m Frankie Luvu $43m William Gholston $40m Blake Cashman $27m C.J. Ham $20m Ray-Ray McCloud $12m Daniel Ekuale $6.7m Kris Boyd $6.5m Khari Blasingame $5.9m Rachaad White $5.1m Tyler Johnson $3.7m Jaylen Wright $3.6m Tarheeb Still $3.2m Xavier Thomas $3.2m Malik Taylor $2.7m Trey Taylor $2.6m

Jonathan Allen alone holds 26.0% of everything the firm's clients have earned.

Every The Institute for Athletes client ranked by NFL earnings

Money paid, and what is still contracted

17 clients

# Player Position Franchise Seasons Contracted Career earnings
001 Jonathan Allen Defensive Tackle Washington Commanders 9 $94,045,241$94.0m
002 Adam Thielen Wide Receiver Carolina Panthers 11 $83,381,941$83.4m
003 Frankie Luvu Outside Linebacker Washington Commanders 9 $42,907,643$42.9m
004 William Gholston Defensive End Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12 $39,748,946$39.7m
005 Blake Cashman Inside Linebacker Minnesota Vikings 8 $27,204,673$27.2m
006 C.J. Ham Fullback Minnesota Vikings 10 $19,551,253$19.6m
007 Ray-Ray McCloud Wide Receiver Atlanta Falcons 9 $11,715,341$11.7m
008 Daniel Ekuale Defensive Tackle New England Patriots 7 $6,746,912$6.7m
009 Kris Boyd Cornerback Houston Texans 7 $6,514,613$6.5m
010 Khari Blasingame Fullback Chicago Bears 6 $5,931,266$5.9m
011 Rachaad White Running Back Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 $5,129,999$5.1m
012 Tyler Johnson Wide Receiver Los Angeles Rams 5 $3,687,396$3.7m
013 Jaylen Wright Running Back Miami Dolphins 4 $1.2m $3,590,020$3.6m
014 Tarheeb Still Cornerback Los Angeles Chargers 4 $1.2m $3,205,720$3.2m
015 Xavier Thomas Defensive End Arizona Cardinals 4 $1.2m $3,180,624$3.2m
016 Malik Taylor Wide Receiver New York Jets 6 $2,725,293$2.7m
017 Trey Taylor Safety Las Vegas Raiders 4 $1.2m $2,623,728$2.6m

The table holds every one of the 17 clients the firm has on record. Money written into a season not yet played sits in its own column and is not counted in the career figure beside it.

How The Institute for Athletes splits a contract

Every itemised dollar on the book, against the league's own split

30.5% signing and option bonus

  • Base salary 59.1%
  • Signing bonus 29.7%
  • Restructured money 6.0%
  • Roster bonus 2.8%
  • Option bonus 0.8%
  • Workout bonus 0.6%
  • Incentives 1.0%
Part of the contract Share on this book Share across the league Negotiated
Base salary 59.1% 52.9% $211,450,110$211.5m
Signing bonus 29.7% 27.6% $106,258,678$106.3m
Restructured money 6.0% 6.3% $21,626,011$21.6m
Roster bonus 2.8% 6.6% $10,131,111$10.1m
Option bonus 0.8% 5.3% $2,800,000$2.8m
Workout bonus 0.6% 0.7% $2,094,653$2.1m
Incentives 1.0% 0.5% $3,496,607$3.5m

30.5% of the book's itemised money is signing or option bonus against 33.0% across the league, so more of it than usual is base salary, which stops the day a client is released. The signing bonus page ranks every career in the league by that part alone.

What The Institute for Athletes represents

Client earnings by position

9 positions

Wide Receiver $102m Defensive Tackle $101m Defensive End $43m Outside Linebacker $43m Inside Linebacker $27m Fullback $25m Cornerback $9.7m Running Back $8.7m Safety $2.6m

Wide Receiver is where the book's money is, $101,509,971 across 4 clients. Every position is ranked across the league here.

Where the The Institute for Athletes clients are

The franchises holding them, and what those careers are worth

14 franchises

# Franchise Clients Career earnings
01 Washington Commanders 2 $136,952,884$137.0m
02 Carolina Panthers 1 $83,381,941$83.4m
03 Minnesota Vikings 2 $46,755,926$46.8m
04 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 $44,878,945$44.9m
05 Atlanta Falcons 1 $11,715,341$11.7m
06 New England Patriots 1 $6,746,912$6.7m
07 Houston Texans 1 $6,514,613$6.5m
08 Chicago Bears 1 $5,931,266$5.9m
09 Los Angeles Rams 1 $3,687,396$3.7m
10 Miami Dolphins 1 $3,590,020$3.6m
11 Los Angeles Chargers 1 $3,205,720$3.2m
12 Arizona Cardinals 1 $3,180,624$3.2m
13 New York Jets 1 $2,725,293$2.7m
14 Las Vegas Raiders 1 $2,623,728$2.6m

What the book is still owed

Money written into seasons that have not been played

$4.8m across 4 clients

Jaylen Wright $1.2m Tarheeb Still $1.2m Xavier Thomas $1.2m Trey Taylor $1.2m

This is the part of the job that has already been done and not yet paid for. The whole league is ranked by contracted money here.

Where The Institute for Athletes recruits

The programmes its clients came out of

14 schools

Washington State 2
Minnesota 2
Clemson 2
Alabama 1
Minnesota-Mankato 1
Michigan State 1
Augustana 1
Texas 1
Vanderbilt 1
Arizona State 1
Tennessee 1
Maryland 1
Ferris State 1
Air Force 1

The bars count clients rather than dollars, because a firm recruits by the head and the money follows years later. Washington State has sent it 2 players. Every college is ranked by NFL earnings here.

What The Institute for Athletes clients are paid each season

Every year of every career on the book, added together

Peak in 2024

2024 is the book's biggest year on record at $64,528,956. The whole 2024 payroll is ranked by player here.

Frequently asked questions

Who is The Institute for Athletes's highest paid NFL client?

Jonathan Allen, $94,045,241, a first-round pick in null, 17th overall. Adam Thielen is second on $83,381,941.

How much have The Institute for Athletes clients earned in the NFL?

$361,890,609 across 17 careers, $21,287,683 a client. The Institute for Athletes is 12th of the 162 firms with a client on record on career earnings, and 19th of the 52 with five clients or more on money per client.

How much does The Institute for Athletes make from its NFL clients?

An agent's fee is capped at 3% of a player's contract, so a book worth $361,890,609 in career earnings is a fee pool of about $10,856,718 spread across the firm and the whole length of those careers. Every figure on this page is what the players were paid.

What kind of players does The Institute for Athletes represent?

Wide Receiver more than any other on money, $101,509,971 across 4 clients. The book covers 9 positions in all.

How many The Institute for Athletes clients are in the NFL now?

6 men of the 17 here was on a roster in 2026, and $4,760,000 is written into contracts for seasons not yet played.

Where to next

The firms either side of this one, and the rest of the money

SportStars · Roc Nation Sports · VaynerSports · 1 of 1 Agency · Priority Sports & Entertainment · Capital Sports Advisors · JL Sports · Red Envelope Sports · Every agency · NFL career earnings

The Institute for Athletes clients

Other agencies

By season

Elsewhere in American football