How to not upset this headhunter?

I recently met with a headhunter about some Associate opportunities they're trying to fill. I basically got feedback from them that I probably wouldn't be a good fit given the criteria the client provided to them. However, I know someone that knows some people that are pretty senior at the firm. I'd like to reach out to this person to get in contact with them, but also don't want to piss off the headhunter as I'd like to use them for future opportunities. But I'm 95% sure that if I just go through the headhunter that it's not going to work out, and that I'd have a shot at getting an interview if I went through my contact.

How should I handle this without upsetting the headhunter?

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