Jamal Anderson, RB, Utah, 7th round pick

Jam made the pro bowl in 1998 after being selected in the 7th round of the 1994 draft and having played only sparingly prior to 1997.  After the rookie contracts James Sims negotiated for Jam expired in 1996, Sims was able to afford Jam immediate financial security as a restricted free agent by negotiating a deal for him in excess of $1,500,000 per year, which put Jam in the same money class as the other top running backs at the time such as Terrell Davis and Curtis Martin. Upon Jam’s breakout season in 1998, and the team making the Super Bowl, Sims immediately began the groundwork for Jam’s $32,000,000 deal while he was still under contract with the Falcons. The value of the $32 million contract Sims negotiated for Jam speaks only partly for itself. The major impact of the deal guaranteed Jam over $11,000,000 in the first year of the contract and close to $15,000,000 in the first 3 years of the deal.  This structure proved critical considering the injuries Jam sustained in the first 3 years of the contract and his subsequent release by the Falcons.  According to the NFLPA salary statistics, the deal Sims negotiated for Jam made him the 4th highest paid RB in the NFL. SSM continues to represent Jam in all his business affairs, film, TV work, and as a sports analyst for the ABC and ESPN networks. 

Deltha O’Neal, CB, CAL, 1st round pick (15th overall)

Because of the questions about his speed, Deltha was rated as low as the 8th cornerback projected in the 2000 draft. Nevertheless, under the training program SSM recommended to Deltha, he reduced his 40 time by nearly .02 seconds and ultimately was the 1st cornerback selected in the 1st round as the 15th pick overall. The rookie contract Sims negotiated for Deltha included a $4,550,000 signing bonus and $150,000 1st year bonus for just reporting to camp, which added to his first year base salary, guaranteed him over $5,000,000 million in his first year.  Sims also structured Deltha’s contract with voidable years and escalator provisions.  Deltha’s contract was about $700,000 more than Bubba Franks’, who was one pick above Deltha. Further, as with all the rookies SSM has represented, Sims was able to negotiate Deltha’s outstanding contract without the necessity of a protracted holdout. 

Takeo Spikes, LB, Auburn, 1st round pick (13th overall)

Spikes entered the 1998 draft as a junior upon trusting James Sims’s advice with his decision and throughout the entire draft process. The NFL advised Spikes that he would be drafted no higher than the 3rd round. Of course, Spike’s goal was to be drafted in the 1st round and James Sims advised him that if he dedicated himself to the training program that SSM suggested Spikes would indeed be a 1st round pick. With the help of the training program SSM recommended, Spike’s combine and personal workout performances were so impressive that he elevated himself from being projected as a 3rd round pick to being the 13th pick in the 1st round. The rookie deal Sims negotiated for Spikes was in excess of $8,000,000 and included $1,500,000 in incentives.  

Eugene Wilson, CB, Illinois, 2nd round pick

Coming out of Illinois in 2003 Eugene (“Gino”) was ranked as the 8th best corner in the 2003 draft because of questions about his speed. Upon taking advantage of the training program SSM suggested, Gino ran two sub 4.4 40’s at the combine in Indy and was ultimately the 1st cornerback selected in the 2nd round (4th pick) of the 2003 draft.
James Sims negotiated a $2,000,000 signing bonus for Gino which was the most ever for a player picked in his slot in the draft.  While most agents chose not to include escalators in their second round contracts, Sims loaded Gino’s deal with $3,000,000 worth of escalators which increased his total contract to over $7,000,000. As result Gino’s 2007 salary went from $600,000 to $2,070,000. If Sims didn’t include the escalators, Eugene would have been basically earning just his minimum salary like the majority of other 2nd round picks whose agents failed to include escalators in their clients’ contracts.  Gino was a Patriot free agent at the end of the 2007 season.  Unable to garnish a long term deal due to his decreased playing time with the Patriots in 2007, we settled for a substantial 1 year $2,200,000 deal with Tampa in 2008.  Upon being released from Tampa at the end of the 2008 training camp, Sims moved quickly to secure Gino a $1,000,000 deal with the Texans, which was significantly above his veteran minimum pay of $605,000. When Gino became a free agent in 2009 Sims' one year strategy paid off with a new 3yr $11.1 million dollar deal for Gino which put him amongst the highest paid free safeties in the NFL

Tully Banta-Cain, LB, CAL, 7th round pick

The $12 million dollar free agent contract James Sims negotiated for Tully in 2007 with the 49’ers is remarkable when you consider that Tully was only a 7th round pick of the Patriots in 2003 and played sparingly for the Patriots during his 4 years prior to becoming a free agent in 2007.  During his first 3 years with the Patriots, Tully played in less than 8% of the defensive plays as a back up and special teams player. In 2006, just one year before becoming a free agent, Tully played in less than 30% of the defensive plays. Despite his sparse playtime, Sims knew Tully’s potential to become a starter and was able to negotiate a very lucrative short term $12,000,000 contract for him with the 49’ers. Tully was guaranteed over $4,000,000 in the first year of the deal. 

Rob Burnett, DE, Syracuse, 5th round pick (15 year veteran)

James Sims represented Rob for 15 years beginning when he was a 5th round pick in 1990 until he retired in 2005. Throughout that time, Sims had the fortune of negotiating several contracts for Rob as a rookie, restricted free agent, and veteran free agent. In 1990, Sims included terms in Rob’s rookie contracts that allowed Sims to renegotiate his contract after only Rob’s first year. In 1991, Rob’s second year in the NFL, in addition to earning Rob significant money from incentives, Sims negotiated a second contract for him which put Rob in the same money category as players drafted in the 1st round of his draft class.  In, 1993, only Rob’s 3rd year in the NFL, Sims went back to the table again and negotiated a 2-year extension for Rob which paid him $1,200,000 per year. In 1995, Sims negotiated a $15,000,000 deal for Rob that, according to NFLPA statistics, made Rob one of the highest paid DE’s in the NFL. From that contract Rob was guaranteed over $8,000,000 in roster and signing bonuses.  In 2000, Sims negotiated a 4-year $16,000,000 free agent contract for Rob with the Ravens which paid him $10,000,000 in signing and roster bonuses in the first 2 years of the deal. In 2004, Rob closed his career with the 2-year $8,000,000 deal Sims negotiated for him with the Dolphins. In the span of Rob’s 15 years in the NFL, Sims negotiated contracts in excess of $ 45,000,000 for Rob, a former 5th round pick.  Sims continues to represent and advise Rob in his business affairs and as a radio analyst for the Ravens. 

La’Roi Glover, DT, San Diego State, 5th round pick

The contract James Sims negotiated for La’Roi was impressive for several reasons: first, La’Roi was virtually an unknown draft prospect as a 5th round pick; second, La’Roi was cut in his second year with Raiders; third, upon signing with his new club, the New Orleans Saints, Sims was able to negotiate a $21,000,000 contract for La’Roi midway through the season in only La’Roi’s third year of the NFL.  The contract Sims negotiated for La’Roi included position specific escalators, voidable years, and a $5,500,000 buy back option fully guaranteed against skill and injury.  La’Roi’s contract was essentially a 3-year deal that averaged $6,386,000 per year, which was unprecedented for a player with his lack of experience. Remarkably, according to NFLPA salary statistics, the deal Sims negotiated for La’Roi made him the 4th highest paid DL in the NFL.