ESPN and NFL Network are going to be on the same team.
The worldwide leader in sports acquired the league's official programming channel in a partnership deal, and soon, that means their staffs will have some sort of overlap, although the details aren't fully known yet.
One aspect that's quite fascinating: The top-two insiders in football are ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
They compete to break news, often sharing posts on X (formerly Twitter) within mere seconds of each other with the league's biggest transactions, injuries and more.
Now, they're going to be teammates, in some form or another -- if Rapoport's soon-to-expire contract is renewed.
Rapoport spoke with [The Athletic's Andrew Marchand](https://x.com/AndrewMarchand/status/2024494438530028025) about the possibility, and he gave some cool, honest thoughts.
The highlight quote:
"If we were to work together, I think that would be awesome. I have no idea if it is going to happen. But it would be like The Avengers."
**MORE:** [The Packers are facing a bit of a ripoff with Malik Willis](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/green-bay-packers/news/packers-made-malik-willis-top-free-agent-qb-dont-get-payoff/ed134d81c9f405c23f643884)
Both groups also have other news-breaking insiders. Jeremy Fowler does it well for ESPN, and both Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo do it for NFL Network.
It seems likely that job descriptions will change at least a little bit. By the same token, though, it'll just put ESPN that much further ahead in the NFL news-breaking sphere.
Schefter and Rapoport may not need the help, but the more the merrier.
More NFL news:
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