The billion-dollar agent behind the NFL's biggest stars
David Mulugheta grew up watching his father work. Mulugheta Ghebremichael fled war in Eritrea with no English and little money. In America, he drove a cab, toiled at a gas station and saved until he and a friend could buy T&M Beer Wine and Gas in Old East Dallas — the M stood for Mulugheta. Even then, his father worked daily 12-hour shifts, taking only every other Sunday off.
On those rare autumn Sundays, the Mulughetas would engage in a particularly American ritual. They watched the Dallas Cowboys.
“I grew up a die-hard Cowboys fan,” David Mulugheta said. “I grew up a Jerry Jones fan.”
Mulugheta, 43, became an agent for NFL players, one accomplished enough to rival the Cowboys owner he grew up cheering for. He represents more than 40 players, many of whom — including quarterback Deshaun Watson, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and safety Derwin James — signed record-setting contracts for their positions. In 2025, Athletes First, where Mulugheta is president of team sports, declared him the first agent to negotiate $1 billion in NFL contracts in a calendar year. Forbes named him the most powerful agent in the NFL. This summer, a public contract dispute with Jones proved it.
His client Micah Parsons, then a Cowboys linebacker/one-man wrecking crew, discussed the parameters of a contract extension with Jones. Parsons believed it was a start. Jones contended the deal was final and refused to speak with Mulugheta. “The agent is not a factor here or something to worry about,” Jones told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in April.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/10/10/david-mulugheta-nfl-agent/