Celebrity Name: Mike Jackson Sr.
New Company: Athletes First
Primary Agents: Olivia Green, Carlos Hudson Jr., Austin Lyman, Trevon Smith, David Mulugheta
Department: NFL / Football Representation
Territory: United States
- Mike Jackson Sr. has officially signed with Athletes First for NFL representation, with a five-agent team led by David Mulugheta.
- Jackson just wrapped a breakout 2025 season with the Carolina Panthers, leading the NFL in pass breakups (19) and earning PFF All-Pro honors as the No. 4-ranked cornerback in the league.
- The agency team includes Olivia Green, Carlos Hudson Jr., Austin Lyman, Trevon Smith, and David Mulugheta, while Ace PR continues to handle publicity.
- This signing puts one of the NFL’s most underrated defensive backs in the hands of the agency behind Jordan Love’s $220M deal, and comes with contract year implications looming.
Mike Jackson Sr. has signed with Athletes First for representation. The Carolina Panthers cornerback will be represented by agents Olivia Green, Carlos Hudson Jr., Austin Lyman, Trevon Smith, and David Mulugheta, while Ace PR continues to oversee his publicity.
The timing couldn’t be better for Jackson. Originally drafted No. 158 overall in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of the University of Miami, he was an under-the-radar pickup who quietly became one of the Panthers’ most important pieces.
After being traded from the Seattle Seahawks to Carolina in August 2024, Jackson started all 17 games in 2025, putting up 68 tackles, a league-leading 19 pass breakups, four interceptions, including a 48-yard pick-six off Matthew Stafford in Week 13, and a forced fumble. He earned PFF All-Pro honors and ranked fourth among all NFL cornerbacks.
This is a significant move on the business side, too. Athletes First recently signed Cordale Flott and Tank Dell to its roster, and Jackson’s addition continues that momentum.
Mulugheta, named Forbes’ No. 7 sports agent in 2025, brings massive negotiating weight at a pivotal point in Jackson’s career.
Takeaways
This signing is about a lot more than representation paperwork. Mike Jackson Sr. has gone from journeyman to one of the most productive cornerbacks in football, and he’s now backed by one of the most powerful agent teams in the NFL.
David Mulugheta has a track record of landing elite cornerbacks generational contracts, think Jalen Ramsey’s five-year, $100M deal. And with Jackson entering the final year of his two-year, $14.5M extension, a major payday could be right around the corner.
Athletes First has been aggressive in stacking elite defensive back talent, and the addition of agents Olivia Green, Carlos Hudson Jr., Austin Lyman, and Trevon Smith rounding out the team signals that the agency is going all-in on Jackson’s career trajectory.
Meanwhile, keeping Ace PR in place shows continuity. This isn’t a full overhaul, it’s a targeted upgrade on the contract and business side.
Could this signing help attract more elite defensive backs to Athletes First’s growing roster? Will Carolina prioritize re-signing Jackson before he hits free agency, or does this representation upgrade put the Panthers on the clock?
