One of the NFL’s leading insiders is reportedly on the verge of his own offseason deal.
As reported by Front Office Sports, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is nearing a multi-year extension to remain with the Worldwide Leader into the 2030s. Details of the negotiations have not been revealed. Previously, in 2022, the New York Post reported that Schefter earned around $9 million annually from ESPN.
The Daily Mail has sought comment from Schefter’s agent and network spokespeople.
The FOS report comes at a major moment for NFL insiders following ESPN’s recent acquisition of the league’s cable network. Disney, ESPN’s parent company, did not pay cash for NFL Network and its accompanying digital assets, but instead gave the league a 10-percent stake in the sports cable giant.
Since then, ESPN has signed NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport to a multi-year deal and FOS recently reported the Worldwide Leader is negotiating a similar pact with another key figure from the league’s cable network, Mike Garafolo.
Meanwhile, Dianna Russini remains a free agent after resigning from The Athletic in April after allegations of an extramarital affair with New England Patriots and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. Russini has denied wrongdoing and stood by her years of reporting on Vrabel, but said she wanted to step aside to quell controversy over the scandal.
Adam Schefter is seen with ESPN analyst and former NFL coach Rex Ryan in February
Without Russini, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer as well as The Athletic’s Michael Silver and Mike Sando now rank among the top NFL insiders working outside of the league’s broadcast partners.
Schefter has been with ESPN since leaving the Denver Broncos beat in 2009. He paired with the late Chris Mortensen for years and is a regular featured guest on several of the network’s most popular shows.
The 59-year-old graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism regularly breaks the biggest NFL transactions throughout the year, but he’s also faced his share of criticism.
In 2022, emails included in a court filing surfaced, showing Schefter sharing a full draft of an article with then-Washington Redskins executive Bruce Allen in 2011. The purpose of the email exchange, ostensibly, was to give Allen the chance to proofread the piece about the contentious collective bargaining negotiations.
‘Please let me know if you see anything that should be added, changed, tweaked,’ Schefter wrote to Allen. ‘Thanks, Mr. Editor, for that and the trust. Plan to file this to espn about 6 am.’
Schefter was blasted for his coziness with Allen, an NFL executive who appeared to be getting some level of editorial control in the piece.
The 59-year-old graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism regularly breaks the biggest NFL transactions throughout the year, but he’s also faced his share of criticism
Then-New York Giants star Justin Tuck is pictured with Adam Schefter in June of 2011
Following the uproar, Schefter issued a statement claiming that it was common for reporters to check facts with league insiders, but admitted that he went too far in this case by sharing a full draft with Allen.
‘Fair questions are being asked about my reporting approach on an NFL Lockout story from 10 years ago,’ Schefter wrote. ‘Just to clarify, it’s common practice to verify facts of a story with sources before you publish in order to be as accurate as possible. In this case, I took the rare step of sending the full story in advance because of the complex nature of the collective bargaining talks.
‘It was a step too far and, looking back, I shouldn’t have done it. The criticism being levied is fair. With that said, I want to make this perfectly clear: in no way did I, or would I, cede editorial control or hand over final say about a story to anyone, ever.’
Schefter has also faced criticism over his framing of domestic violence accusations against players, and in a recent issue of The Boston Globe, he was ripped for his partnership in a gambling company connected to Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
‘Amazing to me that nobody, not even ESPN, has a problem with NFL Insider Adam Schefter being a partner in the gaming and sports betting company Boom Entertainment with Patriots owner Bob Kraft,’ award-winning Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wrote on July 2.
‘Schefter and Kraft both bought into the group five years ago. Schefter continues to break every big Patriots story, and nobody says anything. What a world.’
