NFL Insider and ESPN reporter Adam Schefter on Thursday shared a memo from NFL saying that a man named Ken Francis, a non NFLPA certified agent, is contacting teams and attempting to push for a Lamar Jackson trade.
“NFL sent a memo to all clubs letting them know that the NFLPA informed the league that a person by the name of Ken Francis, who is not an NFLPA certified agent, may be contacting teams and attempting to persuade team personnel to enter into negotiations with Lamar Jackson,” Schefter said in a tweet.
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“NFL memo said teams are prohibited from negotiating offer sheets or potential trades with individuals not certified by the NFLPA. Any team that does can be fined $54,409, which is the fine amount for 2023,” the ESPN reported said in another tweet.
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Who is Ken Francis?
Ken Francis is a Florida man who most recently was pitching a home fitness invention. According to Tom Pelissero’s Twitter post, Francis is now trying to negotiate a nine-figure contract with NFL teams, who are being told they’re not allowed to negotiate with him because he’s not a certified agent.
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“Stop Lying that man never tried to negotiate for me,” Jackson wrote on Twitter shortly after the news broke that Francis is not negotiating on his behalf.
So far, the NFL went to send a league-wide memo to address contact between teams and Ken Francis. However, Jackson claims he’s not negotiating on his behalf.
“I don’t speak for Lamar,” Francis told Fowler. He denied he’s contacted teams on behalf of the quarterback.
“He’s business partners with Jackson on portable gym equipment and that’s the extent of their business dealings,” according to Francis.
This Lamar Jackson saga has been nuts from the start, and it ain’t slowing down. The Ravens issued him a non-exclusive tender a few weeks ago, so he is free to negotiate with other teams but Baltimore has first dibs to match any offer. Now, someone named Ken Francis is cold-calling clubs trying to get them to speak to Lamar because the well appears to have dried up.
