Tulane University’s negotiation competition has built a reputation for putting law students in the middle of real-world NFL contract scenarios. This year, Liberty University’s Zoeanne Missner and Nicholas Hayes came out on top after successfully negotiating a mock three-year, $73 million deal for Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Their victory showed something bigger than just a trophy: the idea that sports agencies should actively watch these competitions as talent pipelines, something emphasized by Denver Broncos Football Administration & Strategy Manager Rob Simpson.

“The competition is good for recruiting for our side. We’ve interviewed a couple of people who have competed in the past,” Simpson told Sports Business Journal. “We’re looking for critical thinking skills and being able to think on your feet. Having that kind of condensed timeframe there, I think, helps you see how people kind of work under pressure.”

Since its inception in 2014, Tulane’s negotiation competition has grown into a massive national event, bringing more than 145 competitors and 56 teams from 39 different schools to its law campus. Law and MBA students are assigned to opposite sides of an NFL-style bargaining table, portraying either team executives or player agents as they attempt to hammer out a contract for a designated free agent.

Their performances are judged by 40 industry professionals who assess how realistic the deal looks and how effective the negotiating strategy is. They also assess how workable it is for the franchise and how well it serves the player.

Following two days of competition last weekend, the field was cut from 56 teams to eight through a bracket-format playoff, with one final winner crowned at the end.

And as per Athletes First’s AJ Stevens, who studied at Tulane, the competition is a huge hit among law students.

“I had a couple students tell me that the only reason they even went to law school was because of this competition,” Stevens said. “It’s definitely shocking to see how big it is. I always thought that it was something cool, but I didn’t think that it would grow to the level that it has.”

However, Hayes and Missner had a vision. Both are planning their careers in sports.

Hayes worked in tandem with Missner. While he handled the financial details, the latter took charge of the negotiations. Hayes later confessed how tough it was to maintain composure during the entire competition, making their win even sweeter.

“It was just action-packed, very intense,” Hayes said. “In between the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final rounds, we had an hour to prepare all of our final arguments and get all of our stats in line, and make sure our contracts were correct. Then it was a sigh of relief when we finally won.”

But they also had some expert help from judges like Athletes First CEO and co-founder Brian Murphy, VP/Client Strategy AJ Stevens, Browns Dir of Football Administration Taylor Young, and salary cap analyst Callum Mahoney.

While Missner and Hayes mapped out a possible future for Trey Hendrickson, the Bengals are currently navigating his very real contract situation.

A franchise tag might be on the table for Trey Hendrickson

As per reports from reporter Mike Garafolo, the Cincinnati Bengals are exploring options after Hendrickson’s contract expired last month, which makes his future with the team uncertain. They are planning to give him a franchise tag, which doesn’t allow a player to go anywhere else.

“Our understanding is that the Bengals are still considering using the franchise tag,” Garafolo mentioned in his report. “Now, could it be a tag-and-trade possibility? Perhaps. Sounds like all options are on the table for Hendrickson right now, but it is not a forgone conclusion that his time in Cincinnati is over.”

Hendrickson, who was drafted by the Saints in 2017 before joining the Bengals in 2021, became one of the league’s top defensive players. He earned four Pro Bowl selections and was named First Team All-Pro in 2024. But then his contract expired.

Later, he agreed to sign a one-year deal for $29 million last year. With that timeline coming to an end, it will be interesting to see if the Bengals re-sign him.