ESPN has locked down longtime NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, according to Front Office Sports.
The Worldwide Leader, which secured its $3 billion purchase of NFL Network in January, reportedly is finalizing a multiyear deal to retain Rapoport, whose contract is up at the end of April.
Rapoport, 46, is the first NFL Network employee to reach a new deal with ESPN after the company absorbed the existing contracts of NFL Network talent.
Rapoport will appear across ESPN platforms and continue with NFL Network coverage, according to FOS.
The network reportedly is excited to have the two top league insiders with Rapoport and Adam Schefter.
An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment.
Rapoport has been more ESPN-friendly recently on social media, including sending out links to a handful of stories to his 5.1 million X followers on Wednesday.
He and Schefter collaborated on reporting a Vikings-Eagles during the 2026 NFL draft on Friday.
Minnesota sent former Pro-Bowl linebacker Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia in exchange for a third-round pick (No. 98) and a third-round pick in 2027.
Getting a deal done with Rapoport was a high priority for ESPN, as previously reported by FOS.
Last month, FOS also reported that there was a “thawing of the ice” between Rapoport and Schefter as the ESPN/Disney merger officially started on April 1.
ESPN’s purchase of NFL Network — and other assets including the RedZone channel and NFL Fantasy Football — was finalized in January 2026.
The NFL received a 10 percent equity stake in ESPN as part of the deal.
Rapoport joined NFL Network in 2012 after covering the Patriots for the Boston Herald.
