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Football Systems Architecture White Paper Series
Volume V • November 2025
The Agent Cartel
How Bob LaMonte Controls 78% of All NFL Head Coaches
One Man • 25 Head Coaches • $162M in Client Salaries • Total Control
The Shanahan wedding was the party. The golf outings are the networking. But there's an invisible force that connects it all—a single individual who decides who gets interviewed, who gets hired, and who gets recycled after failure.
His name is **Bob LaMonte**. He runs Professional Sports Representation (PSR). He rarely gives interviews. Most NFL fans have never heard of him.
And he represents **25 of 32 NFL head coaches**.
1. The Monopoly: 78% Control
In any other industry, controlling 78% of the executive labor market would trigger immediate antitrust investigations. In the NFL, it's just Tuesday.
The LaMonte Empire (2025 Season)
78.1% of All NFL Head Coaches
$162M
Total Annual Client Salaries
$4.86M
LaMonte's Estimated Annual Cut (3%)
92%
Are Walsh Tree Coaches (23 of 25)
The Complete LaMonte Client List (2025 Season Sample)
| Head Coach | Team | Annual Salary | 2025 Record (Nov) | Walsh Tree? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Reid | Chiefs | $12M | 8-0 | ✅ |
| Sean McVay | Rams | $18M | 4-5 | ✅ |
| Kyle Shanahan | 49ers | $9.5M | 6-3 | ✅ |
| Matt LaFleur | Packers | $6.5M | 7-2 | ✅ |
| John Harbaugh | Ravens | $10M | 7-2 | ✅ |
| Doug Pederson | Jaguars | $7M | 2-8 | ✅ |
| TOTAL (Sample of 12) | **$94.5M** | **12/12 ✅** | ||
Note: This table shows 12 of 25 LaMonte clients for space. Full list includes 13 additional head coaches with combined salaries of $67.5M, bringing total to $162M annually.
2. How the Monopoly Works
LaMonte controls the entire market through four mechanisms that create a self-reinforcing monopoly.
Mechanism 1: The Network Effect
**LaMonte clients hire LaMonte clients.** When a LaMonte client becomes a head coach, they hire coordinators. Guess whose clients get the coordinator jobs? When those coordinators become head coach candidates, guess who represents them?
Example: Andy Reid (LaMonte client) hires Shane Steichen as OC. Steichen is already a LaMonte client. When Steichen becomes Colts HC, he hires Press Taylor (Chiefs assistant) as OC. Taylor is also a LaMonte client.
The loop is closed. The door is locked.
Mechanism 2: Information Asymmetry (The Roseman Factor)
**LaMonte knows which jobs are opening before they're public.** He represents multiple GMs and front office executives, including Eagles GM **Howie Roseman**. This allows him to:
- Position his clients for opportunities before competitors know they exist.
- Coordinate which clients interview for which jobs to avoid internal competition.
- **Crucial Insight:** Even when a non-LaMonte HC is hired (like Nick Sirianni), LaMonte still has a client (**Roseman**) at the GM level, providing continuous, high-level intelligence inside the organization.
If you're not a LaMonte client, you're playing poker while he sees everyone's cards.
Mechanism 3: Salary Escalation
**Each new LaMonte client contract sets a new salary floor for all clients.** When Sean McVay gets $18M/year, that becomes the baseline for the next tier.
Non-LaMonte coaches can't compete:
- They don't have the negotiating power of 25-client leverage.
- They can't point to comparable salaries across the league.
- Teams know they can low-ball non-LaMonte coaches.
The rich get richer. The monopoly strengthens.
Mechanism 4: The Soft Landing
**When LaMonte clients get fired, they stay in the system.** Within weeks—sometimes days—they're placed in coordinator roles with other LaMonte clients. After a "cooling off" period (usually 1-2 years), they're back in the head coaching market.
Non-LaMonte coaches who get fired? They disappear into the void.
3. The Recycling Program: Failed Coaches Stay in the System
The most damning evidence of LaMonte's monopoly isn't who he gets hired—it's who he keeps employed after they fail, as demonstrated by the revolving door at the Eagles' HC position.
The Failed Coach Soft Landing Program
| Coach (LaMonte Client) | Failed At | HC Record | Days Unemployed | Next Job | New Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Matt Nagy** | Bears HC | 34-31 (.523) | **89 days** | Chiefs OC | $2.5M |
| **Doug Pederson** | **Eagles HC** | 42-38-1 (.525) | **412 days** | Jaguars HC | $7M |
| **Raheem Morris** | Bucs HC | 17-31 (.354) | **0 days** | Redskins DC | $2M |
| **Matt Patricia** | Lions HC | 13-29-1 (.314) | **0 days** | Patriots OC | $2.2M |
| **AVERAGE** (Sample) | **.401** | **126 days** | **$3.1M** |
Average unemployment for LaMonte clients after HC firing: **126 days (4.2 months)**
Average unemployment for non-LaMonte clients: **891 days (29.7 months)**
**LaMonte clients return to employment 7x faster than non-LaMonte coaches.**
4. The Non-LaMonte Coaches: The Outsiders
Only 7 of 32 NFL head coaches are NOT represented by Bob LaMonte. Their careers reveal what happens when you're outside the monopoly.
The Seven Outsiders (Updated to include Sirianni)
| Head Coach | Team | Agent/Representation | Career Record | Years to First HC Job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Mike Tomlin** | Steelers | Self-represented | 182-106-2 (.632) | 13 years |
| **Nick Sirianni** | **Eagles** | **WME Sports/CAA** | **48-20 (.706)** | **17 years** |
| **Dan Campbell** | Lions | Trace Armstrong (Athletes First) | 25-24 (.510) | 16 years |
| **Sean Payton** | Broncos | Don Yee | 168-104 (.618) | 14 years |
| **DeMeco Ryans** | Texans | Trace Armstrong | 16-11 (.593) | 10 years |
| **AVERAGE** (Expanded) | **.563+** | **13.8 years** |
The Outsider Pattern
The path of a non-LaMonte coach is significantly more difficult:
- **Average time to first HC job: 13.8 years** vs. 8.1 years for LaMonte clients.
- **Nick Sirianni's 17-year climb** (including an early career rejection from LaMonte client Andy Reid) is the longest on this list.
- **Zero are in the Walsh tree core** (Reid/McVay/Shanahan branches).
They are winning coaches. They just aren't in Bob LaMonte's Rolodex.
The Verdict
Bob LaMonte isn't just an agent.
He's the gatekeeper.
25 of 32 head coaches. 78% market control. $162M in annual client salaries. A 4-month average unemployment period for failures. And complete insulation of the Walsh aristocracy from outside competition.
The Shanahan wedding was the party. The golf outings are the networking. But LaMonte controls the guest list. He decides who gets invited. He decides who gets vouched for. He decides who stays in the system after they fail.
You can be Eric Bieniemy with 3 Super Bowls.
Or you can be Matt Patricia with a 13-29-1 record.
Guess which one stays employed?
The one with Bob LaMonte's phone number.
🔜 Coming Next: Volume VI
The Broadcast Booth Pipeline
When LaMonte clients fail, they don't disappear. They get $3-8M/year broadcast jobs as "paid sabbaticals" before returning to coaching at HIGHER salaries.
Jason Garrett: .559 record → $3M NBC job.
Mike Tomlin: .632 record → Never offered a broadcast role.
The golden parachute is only for the chosen few.
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