"Do you have a clear goal for the future?" Lu Ke was slowly backing into a parking space when he heard Leigh's broad and profound question without any warning.
Lu Ke was taken aback and laughed wryly. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he carefully parked the car and turned off the engine before turning to Leigh. "Are you testing my parking skills or my ability to think on my feet?" His retort brought a smile to Leigh's face.
After the joke, Lu Ke's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Everyone talks about the Super Bowl, winning the Super Bowl. That's everyone's goal. Obviously, I'm no exception." It wasn't a clever answer, but a sincere one. "But I know my place. The Super Bowl is too far away for me; that's the ultimate goal. Right now, winning the starting position and winning every game is everything to me."
He wasn't being humble or modest, but rather down-to-earth.
Every player in the league wants to win the Super Bowl. That's the ultimate goal, but there is only one champion every year. For Lu Ke, instead of being overly ambitious and thinking about the Super Bowl, it was better to realistically improve his skills. After all, for him right now, the starting position and winning games were the most practical and desired things.
"If I win one game at a time, I think the Super Bowl will naturally follow," Lu Ke said with a big smile, his eyes filled with confidence and determination.
Leigh smiled and nodded. "That's interesting." That was his evaluation.
Lu Ke possessed both the calmness and introversion of an Easterner and the confidence and extroversion of a Westerner, truly blending the characteristics of both cultures. As the first Chinese-American player in NFL history, Leigh wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad thing, or what kind of future it would lead to. But he was sure that it was an interesting thing.
Lu Ke nodded meaningfully, pursing his lips. "That's also an interesting evaluation." It was the same adjective, but the meaning was different. "Alright. I have to go to the training field now. What about you? Do you need me to call you a taxi?"
Leigh's wrinkled face showed a gentle smile, and he waved his hand lightly. "Don't worry. This is Candlestick Park, not a national park. I'll find a way to get home."
Lu Ke didn't insist. After getting out of the car, he said goodbye to Leigh again and then headed toward the locker room with his gear.
Leigh was an agent, and a very confident one at that. Lu Ke knew what that meant. But in fact, he wasn't in a hurry.
It wasn't because Lu Ke didn't need an agent. On the contrary, precisely because an agent was so important and crucial, Lu Ke wanted to be careful in his choice.
Just as Trent Baalke had thought when he chose Lu Ke, everyone had an agenda. If Lu Ke could establish himself in the league, even if he wasn't a starter or a key player, but just a stable and reliable backup, his commercial value in the Asian-American immigrant market and even the Asian market would be absolutely underestimated.
It wasn't a consideration from a sports perspective but from a business operations perspective. The title of "the first Asian player in NFL history" had undeniable commercial value. When the San Francisco 49ers announced that Lu Ke would be the starting quarterback, even the league's official page acknowledged it and launched a series of promotions.
Lu Ke wasn't a professional in this area, but he wasn't completely ignorant either.
An excellent agent, the right agent, and a compatible agent were crucial for Lu Ke's career, market development, future plans, and even his personal life.
In fact, the relationship between an agent and a player is a two-way street. Both parties can choose to accompany each other to success, but they can also choose to fire the other at any time.
An agent hopes to gain more benefits through a player. Similarly, a player hopes to better plan their career through an agent. A truly excellent and good partnership should be mutually beneficial and supportive. However, in modern society, where materialism is rampant, this work relationship is very fragile.
The movie "Jerry Maguire," starring Tom Cruise, focuses on a football agent. In the movie, the character played by Tom focuses all his energy on one player, going all in and single-mindedly helping his player reach the top.
But in real life, driven by profit, an agent often has many players under their wing, and there are many top agents like Tom Condon.
Although it is not uncommon for players to change agents or for agents to terminate a contract, Lu Ke didn't want to spend too much time on agents. He only wanted to focus on games and training, and leave all the off-field matters to his agent.
If possible, Lu Ke didn't want to change agents frequently.
After the first regular season game against the Seattle Seahawks, Lu Ke's personal phone received calls from 14 different agents. They introduced themselves, had basic communication, planned his career, and expressed their ambitions.
But there were too many of them, which was overwhelming and difficult to judge. It was counterproductive.
For Lu Ke, it felt more like an annoying sales call. He didn't remember a single one of the 14 agents' names. Then, the second week of the season came, and then they got two consecutive wins. After the game, the calls were even more numerous, so Lu Ke simply turned his phone on silent and didn't answer any of them.
There were a total of 78 missed calls from 27 different unknown numbers. It was a little crazy.
Now, Leigh Steinberg had appeared in front of Lu Ke in person. It was no longer a phone call but a face-to-face conversation. The realness of it was becoming clearer and clearer. This not only showed Leigh's sincerity but also outlined the role of an "agent."
However, Lu Ke was not carried away and was carefully making his choice. Since he had already missed the signing and negotiation of his rookie contract, it wouldn't hurt to postpone it a little longer. Moreover, the third week of the regular season was just around the corner, and Lu Ke needed to focus. These off-field matters could be put aside for now.
Today was Wednesday, and there was a full day of heavy work waiting for him. Lu Ke walked with firm steps, without any hesitation or lingering thoughts.
Leigh didn't leave. He stood in the parking lot, watching Lu Ke's receding back, a look of amusement in his eyes. Compared to Lu Ke, Leigh had clearly gained more today.
Leigh Steinberg, 62 years old, was one of the most senior and authoritative big-name agents in the industry.
He didn't belong to any top agency. Instead, he had his own independent sports agency, "Steinberg, Murad, and Dunn Sports Agency." As the name suggests, the company's name came from the last names of the three partners. But this independent sports company was one of the top agencies in the industry.
Unlike Tom Condon, Leigh Steinberg was a maverick in the industry. Throughout his career, he had focused on representing only one quarterback in almost every era, giving all his care and attention to a single player.
In the 90s, he represented Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers, a three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback. In the 90s, he also represented Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys, a three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback. In the first decade of the 21st century, he represented Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a two-time Super Bowl champion and a holder of many rookie quarterback records.
Of course, the peak periods of these quarterbacks' careers overlapped more or less, but overall, Leigh never represented too many players. He stuck to the path of quality over quantity, truly pushing his work to the extreme, and step by step became a top-tier agent. Even top agents like Tom Condon had to show him respect.
For reference, the real-life inspiration for the movie "Jerry Maguire" was Leigh Steinberg.
Currently, Leigh only has one football player under his wing, "Big Ben" Ben Roethlisberger.
Big Ben was a rookie who entered the league in 2004. In the blink of an eye, the rookie had transformed into a seven-year veteran and was now in his eighth season. Leigh had been intermittently searching for a rookie player to take on, but adhering to the principle of quality over quantity, he had not signed another quarterback.
Until Lu Ke appeared.
To be honest, Leigh still hadn't made a decision. Today was just the first time he had met and observed Lu Ke. But he had gained a lot.
The first time he noticed Lu Ke was during the Rose Bowl at the beginning of the year. Leigh, who now lived in Los Angeles, had watched the game in person that night. He witnessed the crowd's uproar and the comeback in the last two minutes, which left a deep impression on him about the backup quarterback.
But that was all. Leigh didn't conduct any investigation. At that time, it was Lu Ke's Chinese-American identity that had piqued his interest, and curiosity and gossip had taken over.
The stunning and brilliant performance in the rookie training camp was what truly made Leigh interested in Lu Ke because he knew better than anyone the potential of the Asian market and Asian-American immigrants.
The official meeting today had overturned some of his ideas but also solidified some others. This player was indeed an interesting guy.
Now, Leigh was also a little excited. Who would win the starting quarterback competition for the San Francisco 49ers this week?
On one side, you had the number one overall pick quarterback, a league veteran who was a steady player but had never broken through his potential and was now back from injury, trying to make a breakthrough. On the other side, you had a rookie quarterback who was amazing but also inconsistent and hoped to continue his momentum after two consecutive wins.
It seemed like a simple choice, but a closer look revealed countless possibilities. Jim Harbaugh, the decision was now in his hands.
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