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Prominent NFL Insider Has Officially Left Fox Sports

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 1:57 PM ET

A notable NFL insider is a free agent this offseason.

The Washington Post's Ben Strauss wrote a profile about Jordan Schultz, a prominent news-breaker who recently worked with Fox Sports following a stint at Bleacher Report. In the piece, a Fox spokesperson confirmed that Schultz is "no longer on our air."

Schultz told Strauss that he intended to leave Fox when his year-long contract expired. While he claimed to have negotiations with multiple companies, he's considering an independent venture.

Strauss highlighted two incidents that ruffled some feathers, potentially contributing to the split.

"Earlier this year during the NFL draft, Schultz reported team selections before they were officially announced on TV," Strauss wrote. "The NFL reached out to Fox executives, highlighting a policy that prohibits media partners from tipping picks. Around the league's schedule release, Schultz also prematurely broke news about a game scheduled to air on Fox before the agreed-upon time, rankling the network."

Schultz also made unusual headlines for a verbal confrontation with NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport at this year's combine in Indianapolis. Schultz claimed that Rapoport accused him of offering Starbucks and Uber stock to sources for information, an allegation he called "ridiculous."

"Total blasphemy," Schultz said. "Dumb, unfounded — and yet very damaging."

However, Strauss' profile raised some ethical questions surrounding Schultz's reporting. The son of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has vacationed with Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II and hosted Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson at his Manhattan home.

The younger Schultz has dined players, and he also sent a $700 coffee machine to league executives. An anonymous NFL reporter said Schultz is "wealth-funding the insider game," comparing his methods to Saudi Arabia paying players to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf.

Schultz called it "ludicrous" that he's gaining access to millionaire athletes by treating them to dinner. He said he's "breaking the mold of traditional reporting by forging direct, trust-based relationships with athletes."

"Is that immoral? Maybe it sounds like other reporters think it is," Schultz said. "If I'm going on a dope vacation and invite Pat [and] he comes for a few days, people can judge and say that's not how they would do things. I just know that, for me, it's really important to have these friendships."

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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