Negotiation Warriors

Send us Fan Mail Negotiation Warriors - Episode #019: THE HUMBLE NEGOTIATOR with Mike Greenberg Mike Greenberg has spent 16 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quietly becoming one of the NFL’s most respected front-office and salary-cap executives. He has helped negotiate and manage billions of dollars in player contracts, build a Super Bowl champion, and navigate some of the most complex roster...

Send us Fan Mail Episode #018 — From Apprentice to Mentor with Andrew Kessler What does it take to become one of the most respected agents and negotiators in professional football? For Andrew Kessler, the education started long before he negotiated his first NFL contract. On Episode #018 of Negotiation Warriors, Cliff Stein sits down with veteran NFL agent Andrew Kessler of Athletes First for a fa...

Send us Fan Mail Negotiation Warriors, Episode #017 -  LIFE ON THE NFL BUBBLE with Maema Njongmeta What is it really like to live on the NFL bubble? Every year, hundreds of NFL players fight to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Careers can change overnight. A player can make the team, contribute on Sundays, get released, land on a practice squad, get another opportunity - or suddenly find himself...

Send us Fan Mail Negotiation Warriors, Episode #016 - THE CBA NEGOTIATOR with Jeff Pash For more than four decades, Jeff Pash helped shape the business and labor framework of the National Football League. As the NFL’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Pash served as one of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s closest advisors and played a leadership role in some of the most consequential negot...

Send us Fan Mail Negotiation Warriors Episode #015:  Telling it like it is with Rick Smith What separates good negotiators from great ones? Agent Rick Smith believes it isn't about winning every negotiation—it's about building relationships that last decades. In Episode #015 of Negotiation Warriors , Cliff Stein sits down with one of the most respected negotiators in professional sports....

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #014:  THE CALM WARRIOR:   Megha Parekh on Leadership, Resilience & the Strength to Be Vulnerable For years, I have admired Megha Parekh for one quality more than any other.  Calm. No matter how complex the negotiation… No matter how high the stakes… No matter how much uncertainty surrounded an issue… Megha always seemed to approach every chal...

Send us Fan Mail  🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #013   YOU DON'T KNOW ME   THE NEGOTIATION WARRIOR MINDSET OF KELLI MASTERS At her very first NFL Combine, one of the most prominent NFL agents in the industry looked Kelli Masters in the eye and told her: "You don't belong here." Her response would become the defining mindset of her remarkable career as a successful sports ag...

Send us Fan Mail  🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #012: The Salary Cap Godfather with Joe Banner   In Episode #012 of Negotiation Warriors , I sit down with one of the most innovative front office executives in NFL history—Joe Banner.   As President of the Philadelphia Eagles and CEO of the Cleveland Browns, Joe helped reshape how NFL teams approach roster construction, contract negotiations, an...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #011: Beyond the Contract with Peter Schaffer In Episode #011 of Negotiation Warriors, I sit down with veteran NFL agent and attorney Peter Schaffer, one of the most respected and accomplished player representatives in professional sports. Over a career spanning four decades, Peter has represented some of the biggest names in football, including H...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #010: Breaking Down the Salary Cap with Khai Harley In Episode #010 of Negotiation Warriors, I sit down with one of the NFL’s top salary cap and contract strategists — Khai Harley, Senior Vice President of Football Operations and Assistant General Manager of the New Orleans Saints. Over the course of his 23-year NFL career, Khai has become widely...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #009: The Art of Representation with Drew Rosenhaus In Episode #009 of Negotiation Warriors, I sit down with one of the most influential agents in the history of professional sports - Drew Rosenhaus. Over the course of his legendary career, Drew has negotiated more than $10 billion in contracts and represented over 1,000 NFL players, including Hal...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #008 (Part 2):  Building a Championship Roster in the Salary Cap Era with Bill Polian In Part 2 of this two-part conversation, Pro Football Hall of Fame General Manager Bill Polian goes deeper into the craft of negotiation, leadership, and the realities of building winning organizations under salary cap constraints. We dive into: • The evolution o...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #007 (Part 1): Building Champions with Bill Polian In Part 1 of this two-part episode of Negotiation Warriors, I sit down with Bill Polian, Pro Football Hall of Fame General Manager and one of the true architects of the modern NFL. From his early days as a scout to becoming the only executive in NFL history to build three different franchises into...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #006: The Mindset of a Warrior with Adisa Bakari What does it truly mean to be a Negotiation Warrior —not just in deals, but in life? In this episode of Negotiation Warriors, I sit down with Adisa Bakari, Founder & CEO of The Sports & Entertainment Group (TSEG), one of the most respected and successful agencies in professional football. Wi...

Send us Fan Mail  🎙️ Negotiation Warriors – Episode #005: Negotiation Leadership with Ted Phillips What does it take to lead one of the most iconic franchises in professional sports for over four decades?  In this episode of Negotiation Warriors , I sit down with my former boss, mentor, and friend— Ted Phillips , longtime President & CEO of the Chicago Bears. Ted shares invaluable lessons from...

Send us Fan Mail 🎙️ Negotiation Warriors Podcast - Episode #004: The Business of Sports with Andrew Brandt In Episode #004 of the Negotiation Warriors Podcast meets the Business of Sports Podcast in a special simulcast.  Cliff Stein sits down with Andrew Brandt — former Vice President of the Green Bay Packers, longtime NFL contract negotiator, former agent, and one of the most respected voices in...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode #003  of the Negotiation Warriors Podcast , Cliff Stein sits down with legendary sports agent Leigh Steinberg - the inspiration behind Jerry Maguire and one of the most influential figures in the history of athlete representation.  Over a career span of more than five decades, Steinberg negotiated over $4 billion in contracts, represented eight No. 1 overall draft picks...

Send us Fan Mail A True Underdog Story:  The Player-Agent Partnership (Doug Flutie and Kristen Kuliga) In this powerful episode of Negotiation Warriors , Cliff Stein sits down with two true pioneers in the player contract ecosystem: Heisman Trophy winner, CFL and NFL legend Doug Flutie and trailblazing NFL agent Kristen Kuliga . Doug challenged every assumption about what an NFL quarterback “shoul...

Send us Fan Mail   Episode 001: The Origin of Negotiation Warriors   In the first full episode of Negotiation Warriors , Doug Pires and Jessica DeBear of the Stopping By Podcast interview Cliff Stein about the origin of the podcast and the mindset behind great negotiators in professional sports.  Drawing from more than 30 years in the NFL — as both an agent and General Counsel of the Chicago Bears...

Send us Fan Mail Introduction to Negotiation Warriors. Hosted by Cliff Stein. Every negotiation is an opportunity to learn. After more than two decades negotiating NFL player contracts and managing the salary cap, I realized something powerful: every conversation across the table — with agents, executives, players, and owners — was a masterclass in leverage, preparation, psychology, and strategy....