NFL agent Jon Perzley and Jermaine Cunningham are both UF alums, but it took a pair of shorts for the latter to realize the connection.
A Gators logo tattooed on Perzley’s right calf gave it away.
“I had seen this big Gator tattoo, and I was like, ‘What? Did you lose a bet?’” Cunningham said, laughing. “He was like, ‘Nah, I’m a Gator.’ So I was like, ‘Ah, man. That’s even better.’”
The tattoo is the last remnant of Perzley’s days attending football games for leisure. He still spends his weekends at football stadiums, but his mindset has changed.
“It’s a lot of fun but don’t mistake it,” Perzley said. “It’s work.”
Gone are the days of cheering and tailgating. Perzley, 30, only has eyes for his four fellow Gators — Cunningham, Lerentee McCray, Justin Trattou and Sharrif Floyd.
“I’m really not a fan,” Perzley said. “All I am is making sure my guys are doing well. It’s really hard to sit back and enjoy a game a football game now when all you’re doing is concentrating on your clients.”
Floyd, one of Perzley’s newer clients, presented the young agent with a unique challenge when the two first connected. Floyd declared for the NFL draft following his junior season and quickly earned buzz as a projected first-round pick. Floyd said Perzley was a calming presence among the distractions that surrounded him throughout the pre-draft process.
“He put it really simple the way he did it,” Floyd said.
“He just said, ‘You take care of what you can take care of as far as ball and leave the rest to me.’ I put everything in his hands as far as anything besides football and training and getting ready for the draft. He’s really good at what he does.”
With Perzley working behind the scenes, Floyd went about his business of meeting with teams and focusing on workouts. Once the Minnesota Vikings made Floyd the 23rd overall selection of the 2013 NFL Draft, both player and agent let out sighs of relief.
“The draft process is so stressful,” Perzley said. “There’s so much that goes into this that, when you’re finally drafted, you can kind of rest easy and know that, ‘Hey, now all this nonsense is over with. Now it’s time to go do what I love doing.’”
Floyd added: “We all came together after I came off the stage, and (Perzley said), ‘Now it’s just time to go and play ball. Go do what they need you to do for them.’”
Floyd’s path to the NFL was much different than those of McCray and Trattou, two Perzley clients who didn’t hold up jerseys and shake hands with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
McCray cracked the Denver Broncos’ roster as an undrafted rookie but will sit out this season on injured reserve due to a high ankle sprain.
Meanwhile, Trattou, a member of the New York Giants, continues to provide an example for undrafted rookies like McCray that hard work and persistence — when combined with talent — can help earn you a roster spot.
Trattou may not be a starter, but he has hung on as a valuable member of the Giants’ defensive line rotation since beginning his professional career in 2011. He is thankful Perzley cared more about his drive than his draft stock.
“Going back to even when I was at Florida, a lot people said I wouldn’t ever play,” Trattou said. “Then I started [31] games there. Jon took notice of that, and he believed in me from the get-go.”
Whether his clients are high draft picks like Floyd and Cunningham or underrated guys like McCray and Trattou, Perzley is in the business of fulfilling promise. If his clients are willing to work, he is prepared to do whatever it takes to get them where they want to go.
“There’s no better feeling in the world — that’s one of the reasons I love my job so much,” Perzley said. “Helping guys fulfill this lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.”
Follow Joe Morgan on Twitter @joe_morgan.
Defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (73), now a member of the Minnesota Vikings, celebrates after making a tackle during Florida’s 33-23 loss to Louisville during the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
