ESPN has signed NFL Insider Adam Schefter, one of sports media’s preeminent reporters, to a new multi-year contract extension.
In addition to his prominent NFL studio role, Schefter will have a unique opportunity to try something new – sideline reporting. Schefter will join Monday Night Football’s Lisa Salters as a reporter during ESPN’s NFL Wild Card game telecast in January. He will also have the chance to work as a reporter during occasional ESPN NBA games, something he is particularly excited to try during the football offseason as someone who closely follows the NBA.
Schefter will also launch a new football-centric weekly ESPN Audio podcast in January, tentatively titled Know Them from Adam – The Adam Schefter Show, that explores the personalities of people with connections to football.
Schefter, who joined ESPN in 2009, will continue to appear on SportsCenter, NFL Insiders, Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown while also contributing to other ESPN platforms.
“Since Adam joined ESPN, he has been a game-changer for our year-round NFL coverage – on television and across so many other platforms,” said Seth Markman, senior coordinating producer, ESPN NFL studio shows. “Adam is as well-connected as any person in sports, he is a tireless worker and he breaks more news than any reporter in the industry. He is also a great teammate and mentor to many of our younger reporters.”
Schefter added: ““From the day ESPN hired me, it has been a life-transforming experience. There hasn’t been a single day that has passed when I haven’t been grateful and thankful to ESPN for giving me that chance, for getting to work with such great people all across the company, and for getting to do a dream job. I look forward to doing it for many years to come.”
Schefter has covered the NFL since 1990 and is seen and heard year-round on ESPN. He appears on multiple shows each week throughout the NFL season and offseason, including during free agency, the NFL Draft and while reporting from major league events like the Scouting Combine and owners meetings.
Regarded as one of the top reporters in the industry, especially when it comes to breaking news, Schefter is also highly influential on social media, including Twitter where he has more than 5.5 million followers. The MMQB NFL site named him the 2014 Media Person of the Year for breaking multiple significant stories during the free-agent period and offseason.
Schefter has also filed a number of memorable features for ESPN, including a 2013 piece chronicling the Seattle Seahawks’ decision to draft quarterback Russell Wilson, and a very personal story this fall about his family on the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Before joining ESPN, Schefter was a reporter/analyst for NFL Network (2004-08) and a sportswriter for the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News for more than 15 years, where he covered the NFL and the Denver Broncos. A former president of the Pro Football Writers of America, he is also the author of four books.