Before taking a leap to the NFL, ex-Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia made an admission of handling the NFL landscape all by himself. He opened up about his scars from the broken NIL system. But Pavia's agent fired back.

“Please stop the stupidity. He didn’t have an NIL AGENT. I am his agent for the NFL (facepalm emoji, laughing emoji)," wrote sports agent Malki Kawa, founder and CEO of First Round Management, resharing Pavia's interview.

On April 7, the former Vanderbilt quarterback appeared on Jon Gruden’s Barstool Sports show, Gruden’s QB Class. That's when Pavia shared that he will be representing himself for the 2026 NFL Draft without the help of any agent. He also shared the reason behind his decision.

“Nah, I’m representing myself," said Pavia. "I didn’t think it was fair that someone was going to represent me and take 5-10%. Ain’t nobody taking my money."

But what made Kawa fire back? He is viewed as one of the best in the business. After all, he has represented David Njoku, tight end of the Cleveland Browns. Running back Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts was also his client. 

At the same time, back in January this year, the First Round Management made a post on Instagram in collaboration with Pavia, announcing that he had signed with Kawa’s group.

"Welcome To The Family For NFL Representation @diego10pavia Let’s Work! 🤝 #FRM #NFLDRAFT," the comment read.

While the truth is yet to be known, the past showed how stepping into the NFL without an agent is not a good option. Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders entered the draft without an agent. Even though he was projected to be a first-rounder, he ended up slipping to the fifth round.

The Albuquerque, New Mexico native will enter the draft projected to be a late-day three pick or a priority free agent signing. But maybe he has still not recovered from the experience he had in college.

Why Didn’t Diego Pavia Hire an Agent During His College Years?

Pavia did not use an agent for his representation during his time with the Vanderbilt Commodores. He was reluctant to accept representation because there is no NCAA regulation in place. 

These agents take advantage of college athletes by demanding a significant cut from their NIL deals, leaving scars from a broken NIL system in college football. Unlike the NFL, an agent’s commission is capped at 3%, no matter how much money the athlete makes. 

Pavia made sure that no one took his NIL money away from him. Managing things alone, he did well. In an interview with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan back in June last year, he shared that he had an NIL offer of more than $4 million from an SEC team.

Back in November last year, Pavia's NIL valuation sat around $2 million, according to On3. But the NFL is a different landscape altogether. It's challenging because of the high-stakes negotiations against experienced team executives.

Share your take on the Diego Pavia and the NFL agent controversy.

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Written by

Samvruth Raj

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar