Drew Rosenhaus

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. When young, Rosenhaus was a fan of the Miami Dolphins and attended home games and practices.

Rosenhaus attended the University of Miami School of Business at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where he graduated in 1987. He attended law school at Duke University School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1990.

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 Rosenhaus' brother Jason, who serves as the firm's vice president, and Robert Bailey, the firm's director of marketing.

After the 2011 NFL Lockout, Rosenhaus negotiated more than 90 contracts, worth about $600 million, in one month.

In 2022, Rosenhaus negotiated a four-year, $120 million contract for then Kansas City Chiefs' wide receiver Tyreek Hill with the Miami Dolphins, which made Hill the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history by average annual contract value and total guaranteed compensation.

Notable clients

Rosenhaus represents more than 170 players, including several high-profile clients, many of which are known for having eccentric personalities.

Willis McGahee

In January 2003, University of Miami running back Willis McGahee suffered a complex and serious 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, even though they were in fact speaking with each other. The Buffalo Bills selected 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.

Terrell Owens

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.

Johnny Manziel

In March 2016, after his previous agent terminated their contract, Rosenhaus began to represent Johnny Manziel, the first freshman in the history of college football to win the Heisman Trophy, on the condition that Manziel sought 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.

Controversies and allegations

NFLPA Investigation and Suspension (2005)

In 2005, the NFLPA suspended Rosenhaus for two weeks and fined him for violating its agent regulations. The investigation stemmed from his role in representing wide receiver Terrell Owens during Owens's contentious holdout from the Philadelphia Eagles. The union found that Rosenhaus failed to properly file required paperwork regarding the representation and made prohibited phone calls to Owens while he was still under contract with another agent. Rosenhaus accepted the penalty, calling it a "technical, minor violation."

Investigation into Financial Advisor Relationship

In 2012, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) launched an investigation into whether Rosenhaus's close business ties with Jeff Rubin caused him to breach his fiduciary duties to his clients. Rubin convinced numerous NFL players, including at least 18 Rosenhaus clients such as Terrell Owens, Jevon Kearse and Frank Gore to invest in a failed Alabama casino project. Bankrupty filings indicated players lost as much as $43.6 million in this venture. Terrell Owens stated that Rosenhaus recommended Rubin to him, saying, "We recommend you use Jeff... we trust him". Owens and other players believed Rosenhaus bore responsibility for their losses. In response, Rosenhaus maintained he was also a victim, had no prior knowledge of Rubin's actions, and did not formally endorse financial advisors to his clients.

Arbitration Controversy with DeSean Jackson

A dispute with client DeSean Jackson led to a controversy regarding the arbitration process itself. In 2016, a federal judge vacated an NFLPA arbitration award that had been in Rosenhaus's favor against Jackson. The judge ruled that the arbitrator, Roger Kaplan, failed to disclose a "highly unusual" prior financial relationship with Rosenhaus, having been paid $140,000 by Rosenhaus to arbitrate a separate dispute with former employee Danny Martoe. The judge found this created an impression of "evident partiality". Following this, a different arbitrator was appointed to rehear the dispute over the $516,415 Rosenhaus contended Jackson owed him.

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.

References

References

1. . ["Chat with Drew Rosenhaus"](http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/23477). *ESPN Internet Ventures*.
2. . ["The World's Most Powerful Sports Agents"](https://www.forbes.com/pictures/fiei45fdil/5-drew-rosenhaus/).
3. . ["Sports Agent Profile, Agent: Drew Rosenhaus"](http://www.sports-agent-directory.com/sports-agents/drewrosenhaus.asp).
4. (April 22, 1999). "Rosenhaus: Here to stay". ESPN/Starwave Partners.
5. (June 7, 2005). "Rosenhaus' success draws cries of foul play". ESPN Internet Ventures.
6. (March 23, 2022). ["Tyreek Hill: Inside His Record-setting Contract with the Dolphins"](https://boardroom.tv/tyreek-hill-contract-trade-details/#:~:text=Maximalists%20like%20Hill's%20agent%2C%20Drew,fully%20guaranteed%20at%20signing%20(DeAndre). BOARDROOM.
7. (April 13, 2009). "Agent: Zach Thomas chooses Chiefs over Jets". ESPN Internet Ventures.
8. "Antonio Brown takes photo with Drew Rosenhaus in Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Steelers.
9. . (April 27, 2003). ["Bills: Agent did not influence decision"](https://www.espn.com/nfldraft/story?id=1545599). *ESPN Internet Ventures*.
10. . (July 8, 2014). ["NFL 95: Drew Rosenhaus' Cell Phone"](http://mmqb.si.com/2014/07/08/nfl-history-in-95-objects-drew-rosenhaus-cell-phone/). *Time Inc*.
11. Rosenhaus, Drew. (September 2008). "Next Question: An NFL Super Agent's Proven Game Plan for Business Success". Penguin Group.
12. (April 19, 2016). "Drew Rosenhaus officially ends relationship with Johnny Manziel".
13. Hase, Michael. (2025-12-10). "Veteran NFL Agent Drew Rosenhaus Faces New Wave of Controversy Amid Historic Career".
14. (2012-09-05). "Report: NFLPA probing Rosenhaus' casino ties".
15. Nogle, Kevin. (2012-09-05). "Yahoo!: NFLPA Investigating Drew Rosenhaus Relationship".
16. (2012-09-05). "Report: NFLPA probing Rosenhaus' casino ties".
17. "NFLPA reportedly investigating Drew Rosenhaus".
18. "NFLPA reportedly investigating Drew Rosenhaus".
19. (2025-12-10). "Rosenhaus asks court to confirm another arbitration award".
20. . (1997). "A shark never sleeps: wheeling and dealing with the NFL's most ruthless agent".
21. (October 21, 2008). "Book Review: Next Question". bleacherreport.com.
22. (July 15, 1996). "So, Sue Me! His No-Holds-Barred Tactics Infuriate NFL Executives, But Drew Rosenhaus, The Self-Styled Dark Knight of Sports Agents, Isn't About To Apologize". Time Inc.
23. . (October 9, 2011). ["The Player: NFL Super Agent Drew Rosenhaus"](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-player-nfl-super-agent-drew-rosenhaus-09-10-2011/). *CBS Interactive Inc*.
24. . ["RealSports with Bryant Gumbel From 1995 to present"](http://www.hboarchives.com/sports_journalism/#R). *HBO Archives*.
25. . (January 28, 2011). ["Agent: Plaxico Burress will play in 2011"](https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=6064818). *ESPN Internet Ventures*.
26. (August 9, 2009). "Miami Dolphins: Drew Rosenhaus Finally Speaks Again On Matt Roth". Sun Sentinel.
27. . ["The U (2009) Full Cast & Crew"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1199479/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast). *IMDB.COM, Inc*.
28. (October 11, 2011). "ESPN's "The Dotted Line" – A Documentary About Sports Agents". Sports Agent Blog.
29. (November 3, 2011). "The 100 Funniest SportsCenter Commercials". Bleacher Report, Inc.
30. . (March 22, 2007). ["Drew Rosenhaus Discusses Misconceptions About Sports Agents"](http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2007/03/Issue-126/Sports-Industrialists/Drew-Rosenhaus-Discusses-Misconceptions-About-Sports-Agents.aspx?hl=Burger%20King&sc=0). *American City Business Journals*.
31. (August 30, 2006). "Drew Rosenhaus enjoying his 15 minutes". AdWeek.