Dianna Russini's Salary Was Higher Than Some NFL Players

Dianna Russini's salary at The Athletic was higher than some of the NFL players that she was covering.

The now-former NFL insider offered up her first public comment since leaving The Athletic, in a piece published by the New York Times on Wednesday. Russini, who remains under investigation by The Athletic and the New York Times for her conduct, admits that both her career and her life have been shattered by the Mike Vrabel scandal.

“This has had a significant impact on my life, both professionally and personally,” she wrote to The New York Times.

According to a report by the New York Times, Russini was making $800,000 in salary and the two sides were working on an extension, prior to her fallout with the Mike Vrabel scandal.

Russini was among the highest-paid journalists at the Athletic, which was purchased by the Times in 2022 for $550 million.

NFL insider was making more than some of the NFL players she covered

The league minimum for NFL rookies is less than $800,000, so Russini was actually making more than some of the players she covered.

Of course, that is hardly something that stands out in sports media today. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter and ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania are both raking in millions of dollars per year, figures higher than several of the athletes that they cover.

Russini, though, could be out of work for a while. It's unlikely that she will be able to land anything similar.

"However, Russini built her career as a reporter. Sources are likely to be less inclined to work with her going forward, given her reputation and lack of a mainstream platform. If she cannot offer insight, viewers will have little reason to consume her content," Fox News wrote.

"Likewise, Russini would have a hard time convincing readers to pay for her content on a platform like Substack."

Hopefully, Russini has been saving much of her big salary.