After spending 15 years, including the last 14, with the Detroit Lions organization, working with contracts, negotiations and salary cap structure, Jon Dykema has been hired by Michigan State as Executive Senior Associate AD/Student-Athlete Management and Assistant General Counsel.
In the newly created position, Dykema will play a pivotal role in drafting, managing and negotiating contracts for Athletics, including, but not limited to, contracts related to sponsorships; commercial partnerships; name, image and likeness (NIL) activities; media rights and employee contracts. He’s expected to work collaboratively with MSU coaches, administrators and student-athletes to understand their needs and provide effective contract solutions, while also ensuring compliance with recent legal rulings and NCAA regulations. The position is a dual report to the Office of General Counsel and Athletics.
“With the constant evolution in college athletics and revenue sharing on the horizon, this is an incredibly important hire for Michigan State athletics,” said MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller. “Jon brings a wealth of experience working with contracts and the salary cap at the NFL level, where he has played an important role behind the scenes in the Detroit Lions’ success. He will be a great resource to Spartan coaches and administrators as we navigate our new landscape.”
Among his many duties with the Lions, Dykema oversaw all legal aspects of the football operation for the club, and assisted the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Director of Football Administration with the management of the salary cap. He negotiated and drafted player contracts and served as the club liaison to the NFL Management Council. Dykema also advised the coaching staff on playing rule interpretations, penalty trends, and replay reviews, in addition to being the club’s primary contact for the NFL Officiating Department.
“I’m thrilled to be returning to the place where my career in athletics administration began,” said Dykema. “I’m very excited to start working with the coaches, staff and student-athletes across multiple sports at Michigan State, especially Coach (Tom) Izzo who has been a big supporter of mine since I was a student manager for the basketball program. At the same time, I’m incredibly grateful to the entire Detroit Lions organization for everything they’ve done for me and my family, including helping me develop the skills required for this job. I can’t thank Alan Haller and his staff enough for this unique opportunity and look forward to being an asset to the athletics department moving forward.”
Since June 2021, Dykema had served the Lions as Director of Football Compliance/Lead Football Counsel. His 14-year stint began in July 2011 after being hired as Staff Counsel. From July 2015-February 2016 he was Interim General Counsel. In March 2016, Dykema assumed the role of Manager of Football Administration/Lead Counsel. He also completed a year-long football administration internship with the Lions from June 2003 through May of 2004.
He also brings experience in college athletics to Michigan State, spending four seasons (2007-11) as Director of Men’s Basketball Operations at the University of Utah. While attending the University of Akron Law School (JD, 2007) and College of Business (MBA, 2007), he spent a semester working in the Akron Athletics compliance office.
Dykema is a 2003 graduate of Michigan State, where he worked as a manager on the men’s basketball team for four years, serving as a head student manager for two seasons. During his time with the team, the Spartans won the 2000 NCAA Championship, captured two Big Ten regular-season championships, one Big Ten Tournament title and appeared in four NCAA Tournaments and two Final Fours.
