The term “NFL insider” likely wouldn’t exist in today’s league without Adam Schefter.
Known as “Schefty” to his peers, he’s made himself into one of the most trusted NFL insiders today. Yearly, Schefter takes on the daunting task of keeping fans informed about contract happenings, injury reports, even potential personnel changes from the two-deep depth chart to coaching staffs.
Many fans already know Schefter’s line of work. Few, though, know about how much he earns.
What Is Adam Schefter’s Net Worth?
As one of the more popular NFL journalist personalities, many would believe Schefter earns a wealthy paycheck from ESPN.
Turns out he does — one that’s in the millions.
Schefter has a net worth of $4 million total. That includes an annual salary of $1.2 million for his work with the network.
Schefter is considered one of the longer-tenured ESPN NFL personalities. He first joined the network in 2009 and has entered season 15. Schefter’s name has constantly evolved in his leap to ESPN. However, he was already an established national reporter prior to his arrival to the network.
In fact, he helped with the humble beginnings with one other well-known channel that covers the league: The NFL Network.
One year after its official launch, Schefter joined the NFL Network as its first-ever insider in 2004. He became a regular contributor to the program’s Total Access show that was hosted by Rich Eisen. He also became a national writer and analyst for the network.
Schefter’s NFL Network run went from 2004 to 2008. But while the NFL Network helped give him a national platform, he actually had a previous run with ESPN before his official hire.
How Was Schefter Able To Earn First ESPN Opportunity?
Schefter’s first taste of ESPN was actually not through Sunday NFL Countdown or even Sportscenter.
It also wasn’t through his time with the NFL Network, either. ESPN instead took an interest in Schefter during a time he worked in the newspaper realm.
Schefter became a regular fill-in representative for The Denver Post on Around the Horn — a show best known for bringing together four different sports columnists from different time zones to debate the top sports stories of the day. Whenever ATH regular Woody Paige was unable to sit in, Schefter took the mantle as the Post’s representative on the show.
The weekly show wasn’t the only appearance for Schefter. He was also a guest on the critically acclaimed weekend program The Sports Reporters.
Eventually, on Aug. 17, 2009, Schefter began his ESPN run as a full-time employee. Schefter even earned one rare award: The 2015 Cynopsis Sports Media Personality of the Year — given annually to the individual who’s work in the journalism industry has transcended how sports connected with fans.
Schefter’s career, though, has come with scrutiny due to some of his reports.
Notable Reports That Drew Attention to Schefter
Even as a trusted insider, Schefter has received some scrutiny and backlash.
He once tweeted out a photo of the medical chart photo indicating that Jason Pierre-Paul has his right index finger amputated. Nearly a year later, in Feb. 2016, Pierre-Paul himself sued Schefter for breach in privacy. The lawsuit was eventually settled in Feb. 2017.
In June 2021, Schefter got involved in a journalistic integrity-related controversy with then-Washington general manger Bruce Allen. Schefter’s name got attached to the 2011 labor dispute. In it, Schefter’s leaked emails referred to Allen as “Mr. Editor” when trying to clarify quotes for a story — in which Schefter sent the unpublished version of his report to Allen.
However, such a practice is considered a breach of journalism ethics, which drew criticism from many journalists including his former ESPN colleague Jemele Hill. Schefter admitted in the summer of ’21 that sending that story to Allen was a mistake.
Schefter then released a tweet about the death of Dwayne Haskins that drew controversy. His original post referred to how the former QB struggled in the league before his death. Schefter drew significant backlash and ended up rewording his post to describe Haskins as a college football standout. Schefter, though, admitted on his podcast that his original take was insensitive and a mistake.
Through it all, Schefter remains a strong presence in the field of NFL insiders and is often the first one to report an important contract situation or injury.
Prior to both the NFL Network and ESPN, Schefter started out as a freelance newspaper reporter with the Chicago Tribune. He then started working for the Rocky Mountain News in Sept. 1990 before heading to the Post six years later.
Now, fans have gotten used to Schefter’s insider reports on Sunday mornings then Monday evenings before NFL action. He’s closing in on a two-decade run with ESPN. Schefter has also spent the bulk of his journalism career with the network.