Drew Rosenhaus

Drew Jordan Rosenhaus (born October 29, 1966) is an American sports agent who represents professional football players. He owns the Miami-based sports agency Rosenhaus Sports, and has negotiated over $2 billion of NFL contracts.

Early life and education

Rosenhaus was born on October 29, 1966 in South Orange, New Jersey. Four years later his family moved to North Miami, Florida. As a kid, Rosenhaus was a fan of the Miami Dolphins and attended home games and practices.

In 1987, he graduated from the University of Miami and began law school at Duke University. In 1990, he graduated from Duke University School of Law.

Career

In 1989, Rosenhaus became a registered sports agent and at the age of 22, he was the youngest registered sports agent at the time. As a University of Miami alumnus, many of his clients and contacts came from the Miami Hurricanes football program.

His company operates under the name Rosenhaus Sports Representation (RSR). Other principals in the firm include Vice President Jason Rosenhaus (Drew’s brother) and director of marketing Robert Bailey.

After the 2011 NFL Lockout, Rosenhaus negotiated more than 90 contracts, worth about $600 million, in one month. In 2012, Rosenhaus and his brother Jason were accused of breach of contract and fraud by suspended employee Daniel F. Martoe in an arbitration filing with the National Football League Players Association.

Notable clients

Rosenhaus represents more than 170 players. Notable players Rosenhaus has represented or represents include Chad Johnson, Frank Gore, Rex Grossman, Rob Gronkowski, LeSean McCoy, Jimmy Smith, Plaxico Burress, Pete Stoyanovich, and Warren Sapp.

In January 2003, University of Miami running back Willis McGahee suffered a knee injury in his final college game during the Fiesta Bowl, the national championship game that year. One month later, he signed with Rosenhaus who predicted that, despite the injury, McGahee would be a first-round NFL draft pick in the 2003 NFL draft.

During the draft, cameras would cut to live shots of McGahee and Rosenhaus talking on their cell phones, giving the impression that they were communicating with teams. The Buffalo Bills picked McGahee in the first round as the 23rd overall choice in the draft. After reconstructive surgery and physical rehabilitation, McGahee signed a five-year contract with the Bills worth about $16 million.

After the 2005 Terrell Owens controversy with the Philadelphia Eagles, Rosenhaus attended a press conference with the client. Rosenhaus responded to the majority of journalists' inquiries by asking for the "next question." The incident contributed to the title of Rosenhaus's second book Next Question: An NFL Super Agent's Proven Game Plan for Business Success.

In March 2016, after his previous agent terminated their contract, Rosenhaus began to represent Johnny Manziel on the condition he seeks treatment for substance abuse. On April 19, after only representing Manziel for a month, Rosenhaus ended his contract with Manziel because he never met his deadline to seek treatment.

Media appearances

Rosenhaus is the author of two books. The first is his autobiography A Shark Never Sleeps: Wheeling and Dealing with the NFL's Most Ruthless Agent, published in 1997. The second book, published in 2008, is Next Question : An NFL Super Agent's Proven Game Plan for Business Success. In 1996, he became the first sports agent to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

He has been featured on several television programs including CBS’s 60 Minutes, HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and Showtime’s Inside the NFL. Additionally, Rosenhaus appeared as himself on the sitcom Arli$$ and is a weekly contributor on "Sports Xtra," WSVN Miami's Sunday night sports wrap-up show. He was also featured in ESPN documentaries The U and The Dotted Line.

Rosenhaus has appeared in commercials for Burger King and ESPN's Sportscenter.

Rosenhaus made a cameo appearance in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire. Also, the persona of Jerry Maguire was reportedly based on Rosenhaus. In 1999, he appeared in the movie about professional football, Any Given Sunday.