As the status of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and his placement on the NFL reporter depth chart under the ESPN umbrella lingers unresolved, Adam Schefter has offered a response.
Rapoport’s contract will expire at the end of April, though ESPN has signaled its intention to keep him after taking over the NFL Network. The Worldwide Leader clearly has an insatiable appetite for NFL news and content, so this comes as no surprise. The bigger question is how (and if) Rapoport can coexist.
Asked about the possibility of teaming up with Schefter, his longtime rival, Rapoport last year said that “If that was the case, that would honestly be fine.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Because of the potential friction between the two, as well as their significant age difference, a recent report suggested that ESPN could see Rapoport as an “heir apparent” and successor to the 59-year-old Schefter. The Athletic later reported that “Adam Schefter is not going anywhere.”
Finally, last week, Schefter got the chance to address the rumor on his own podcast, saying in no uncertain terms that he does not need a successor or heir apparent, in a riff that called to mind Jordan Belfort’s infamous speech in The Wolf of Wall Street.
“I know a lot has been made about my age this week and how I’m retiring, which by the way, no f*cking chance about that if you don’t mind my language,” Schefter said with a beaming smile.
The NFL insider joked that he has “been made out to be ancient” by the media, but insisted he has no plans to follow in the footsteps of his pal Adrian Wojnarowski and retire early. And even if Schefter retired in step with the average American, that still would leave ESPN in limbo with both him and Rapoport for at least a half-decade.
Schefter is arguably as influential and high-profile at ESPN as he has ever been. In addition to acting as a clearing house for all of the network’s NFL news, Schefter also now gives takes and commentary on Get Up, First Take, and Monday Night Countdown.
If ESPN wants to keep Rapoport, it will need to find a way for the two NFL insiders to work together rather than banking on Schefter doing them a favor and retiring.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.