ESPN insider Adam Schefter is perhaps best known for his ability to break NFL – and, as of recently, some golf – news. But he’s also an outspoken advocate for Type 1 diabetes.
As training camp ramps up across the NFL, Schefter joined USA TODAY Sports for a one-on-one interview where he discussed the latest news out of camps and the importance of screening for Type 1 diabetes.
Schefter’s wife, Sharri, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as an adult, and he said seeing her experience managing the disease led to a partnership with pharmaceutical company Sanofi to raise more awareness around screening for it.
‘It’s so important to take that first step and make a plan,’ Schefter said. ‘Make that plan today. Advocate for yourself, for your family, and talk to your doctor about screening.’
Adam Schefter discusses training camp contract disputes
Through less than a week of training camp practices, there has been no shortage of intriguing storylines to keep an eye on.
Some of the biggest ongoing stories involve contract disputes between some star players and their respective teams. Schefter mentioned the talks between wide receiver Terry McLaurin and the Washington Commanders as well as edge rusher Micah Parsons’ negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys as two storylines he’s keeping an eye on.
But perhaps the most notable disputes have been those occurring in Cincinnati, as the Bengals have struggled to finalize deals with two of their defenders. Veteran edge rusher Trey Hendrickson left the state of Ohio rather than showing up to camp, and incoming rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart was one of the last remaining unsigned draftees in the entire 2025 class until he agreed to terms Friday.
The reason for each dispute is different, but the result has been the same: neither player has been practicing at training camp.
‘Most every contract dispute is resolved eventually,’ Schefter said. ‘It’s very rare that a full year goes by and a player doesn’t play. Now, when they get resolved and how they get resolved are entirely different questions.
‘All I know right now is Trey Hendrickson is in Florida. The Bengals have offered him one year of guaranteed money. He wants at least three years of guaranteed money like the other top pass rushers – Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt – have gotten. He hasn’t gotten that.’
Meanwhile, Stewart was holding out because he wanted the language in his rookie deal to reflect that of the previous rookie contracts the Bengals have given out.
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway reported that the Bengals wanted the option to void future guarantees for their first-round pick. Stewart contested that it would be unfair to accept a deal like that after other recent Cincinnati first-rounders’ rookie contracts did not include that language.
Said Schefter: ‘To me, that doesn’t make sense for either side to prolong this and make him sit any longer. Figure out the language, get in the room, get it done. Somebody’s got to give up something to get that young man in camp and to begin to get him the reps that he needs.’
On Friday, USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon confirmed Schefter’s report that Stewart and Cincinnati had finally agreed to terms on his rookie deal.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Stewart agreed to accept the new language in his contract in exchange for an additional $550,000 in signing bonus money he’ll receive upon signing the deal.
Even with Stewart’s negotiations in the rearview mirror for the Bengals, their issues figuring out an extension for Hendrickson still loom large.
Schefter couldn’t say which contract dispute may get resolved first between Hendrickson’s issues with the Bengals or Parsons and McLaurin with Dallas and Washington, respectively. Things could change in a day, he said, so it’s very hard to predict.
Adam Schefter on the Browns’ quarterback battle
Evaluating rookie quarterback performances and their first-year outlooks is an annual training camp and preseason tradition.
This year features an extra bit of intrigue with Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders – Deion Sanders’ son – fighting for the starting job in Cleveland. He has his work cut out for him in a crowded quarterback room: veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, as well as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, are also battling for the Week 1 starting job.
‘Could Shedeur Sanders win (the starting job)? Yes. Is that the most likely scenario? No,’ Schefter said. ‘I think it’s more likely that Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett will be the opening day starter.’
That came with the caveat that either of those players would have to ‘play winning football…to keep that job.’ Should Flacco or Pickett falter, the leash on either quarterback likely won’t be long with Sanders (and Gabriel) waiting in the wings.
The odds may be long, but Sanders still does have a chance to win the starting job in the preseason. Schefter pointed to Cowboys starter Dak Prescott and Giants (former Seahawks) starter Russell Wilson as examples of late-drafted rookie quarterbacks who stole the show in training camp.
‘If Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders is going to find a way to win the opening day starting quarterback job of the Cleveland Browns, you’re going to have to see that particular quarterback light it up in the preseason. Like you’re going to have to watch them and say, ‘I don’t know how they’re going to keep this guy off the field.’ That’s what it’s going to take,’ Schefter said.
‘Is one of them going to do that? We’ll see. Probably not, but not out of the question.’
Who are other rookie quarterbacks to watch?
Outside of the Browns’ rookie quarterback situation, two other first-year quarterbacks are looking to make their mark in 2025: Saints second-round pick Tyler Shough and Giants first-rounder Jaxson Dart.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll has already announced Dart will start the year backing up the aforementioned Wilson, but Schefter thinks Shough’s got a good chance to start Week 1.
‘Their (the Saints’) other quarterbacks are Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler,’ he said. ‘Neither one of those is proven or established. So Tyler Shough clearly is going to have an opportunity to win that starting quarterback job. That is well within his reach.’
As for Dart, Schefter said there’s a high expectation that he’ll get an opportunity to play at some point during the 2025 season. The bigger question is when, exactly, that might happen.
Schefter said, ‘I think you could look at the schedule and you just never know. If the Giants defense is as good as they think it can be, and they can find a way to surprise and keep things competitive, maybe Russell Wilson’s leash is extended. If it’s not, and they’re struggling and they’re 0-3, 0-4, then maybe it’s shortened. I think a lot will be dependent upon their win-loss production early in the year.
‘I think that they feel really happy and confident and comfortable on the quarterback that they got in Jaxson Dart. But obviously Russell’s going to get the first opportunity and we’ll see what he winds up doing with it.’
Another big question for the Giants and Dart is whether Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen earned themselves more job security by drafting the rookie first-rounder.
John Mara, one of the co-owners of the G-Men, said after the 2024 season that he’d ‘just about run out of patience’ with the coach and GM, yet they still got the runway to stick around and draft a young gunslinger.
Schefter said it’s still too early to predict whether the decision to draft Dart has truly saved either person’s job just yet.
‘If (the Giants) come out, they’re flat, another disappointment, fans are angry, planes are flying more banners – ‘Fire Daboll,’ ‘Fire Schoen’ – then yeah, then the (owners are) going to be forced to make a move,’ he said.
Schefter discusses Travis Hunter, J.J. McCarthy expectations
As the 2025 season approaches, two players with the most uncertain expectations are Jaguars rookie two-way player Travis Hunter and Vikings second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
For Hunter, the biggest question is how Jacksonville – led by offensive-minded rookie head coach Liam Coen – will deploy the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. The Colorado product played both wide receiver and cornerback in college, but will he be expected to contribute on both sides of the ball in a similar way in the pros?
According to Schefter, the Jaguars likely will allow Hunter to play both offense and defense, but they’re prioritizing Hunter’s contributions as a receiver first.
‘They told me around the draft that they want to onboard him as a wide receiver, so it certainly sounds like he’s going to start out as a wide receiver,’ he said. ‘They’ll mix in defensive back, but maybe then they start shifting the scale and he’s more defensive back than wide receiver. It’s a lot for him to pick up and get adjusted to, but yeah, I think he’s definitely gonna have a role as a wide receiver.’
And as for McCarthy, he hopes to enter the 2025 season healthy after a knee injury during last year’s preseason robbed him of making his regular-season debut as a rookie. In his absence, veteran Sam Darnold stepped up and led the Vikings to a 14-3 season, nearly clinching the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the process.
Minnesota’s decision to then let Darnold walk in free agency – therefore sticking with McCarthy instead – seems to say a lot about how highly the Vikings think of their 2024 first-round pick. However, last year’s results may also mean elevated expectations for the young quarterback in his first real season.
Those expectations get boosted higher when considering the rest of the talent in a stacked draft class for quarterbacks last year. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix were all fellow first-round quarterbacks last year who showed flashes of excellent potential in their 2024 rookie seasons.
Schefter said he expects McCarthy will ‘fit right into that group’ of young quarterbacks who have proven they can play.
The ESPN insider pointed out that McCarthy is in a great situation in Minnesota – he’s surrounded by offensive weapons like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson and coached by quarterback guru Kevin O’Connell.
Schefter also said that McCarthy’s father, whom he spoke to earlier this week, is ‘over the moon about how things are going’ in Minneapolis.
‘Clearly there are a lot of people that feel really good about the way J.J. McCarthy looks and the potential he has for the future and what’s ahead for him this season,’ Schefter said. ‘So, I think the arrow’s pointed up.’