In July 2024, The Athletic launched Scoop City, pairing Russini with former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel. It wasn’t just another podcast. The pitch was to take listeners inside the NFL, with Russini bringing the reporting and Daniel offering a former player’s perspective. Early on, Scoop City was attracting roughly twice as many female listeners as the average Athletic podcast.

Part of that appeal came from Russini herself. She was no longer just the NFL insider whose currency was information; she was becoming the face of a show built around access, personality, and conversation. By then, Pardon My Take had also become part of that broader side of her career. Russini appeared on the Barstool podcast in March 2025 to discuss free agency, the NFL Combine and Scoop City. Barstool was already a familiar stop for her, and now, one of those familiar NFL-media homes could become her next one.

According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Barstool Sports has emerged as the leading candidate to hire Russini, who is “absolutely” planning a comeback to sports media. The report notes:

“The former senior NFL insider for The Athletic has been in discussions about several new job opportunities, ranging from pro football insider to opinionist/personality, say sources. Russini hasn’t decided on her next play. But with the kickoff of the new pro football season only six days away, the former ESPN reporter is expected to make her move sooner rather than later.

“The New York Times-owned Athletic’s decision to publicly release the long-awaited findings of its internal investigation that largely cleared Russini of biased Vrabel coverage could help pave the way for her return, say sources.”

And that timing is important. Russini has been away from the NFL media cycle since April, but the uncertainty surrounding her exit is no longer quite as open-ended. The Athletic has now finished its review, the 2026 NFL season is about to begin, and Russini’s name is now being discussed as a potential addition to several different kinds of sports-media operations.

Barstool is the most prominent possibility. Russini already has a working relationship with Pardon My Take hosts Dan “Big Cat” Katz and PFT Commenter, and her February 2026 appearance on the show came only weeks before the controversy that ultimately took her away from the NFL media scene. She spent a substantial portion of that episode discussing Combine storylines, including A.J. Brown, Maxx Crosby and the Vikings’ quarterback situation.

When Us Weekly asked Portnoy whether he would hire Russini, the Barstool founder called it a “no-brainer” if she wanted to work there. He also argued that an affair, even if one had occurred, should not end someone’s career. However, Russini has not announced a deal with Barstool as of yet. Moreover, Barstool is not the only door that has been left open.

Jon “Stugotz” Weiner made perhaps the clearest public offer months ago, before The Athletic’s investigation had even concluded.

On May 1, Weiner said on Stugotz & Company that he would hire Russini if she wanted to return to the business. More importantly, he didn’t put an expiration date on it. “The offer holds forever,” he said, adding that if Russini wanted to return in three months, a year or even two years, “she has a place right here.”

Weiner repeatedly stressed that Russini’s personal story belonged to her, while making clear that his friendship with her did not prevent him from offering her a professional landing spot. There is also a more unconventional possibility: Fantasy Life.

Former ESPN colleague Matthew Berry was recently asked whether he would hire Russini, and his response was warm but considerably more conditional than Portnoy’s.

“I like Dianna a lot,” Berry said, calling her a friend and “really, really talented and good on air.” But he immediately turned the conversation toward the economics of his company: “Can we afford her? What is she going to do for the company? Because we don’t really break news.”

That distinction could tell us something about what Russini’s next job might actually look like. Berry said that if she joined Fantasy Life, her role would have to be built around helping fantasy players rather than simply reproducing the NFL-insider work she did at ESPN and The Athletic. He also praised her preparation, energy, professionalism with producers, and ability to deliver on-air.

That leaves Russini with a rather unusual range of possibilities. She could return to the traditional insider role that made her name, move toward opinion and personality-driven programming, or use the reporting and on-air experience she built over more than a decade in a less conventional football-media role. But, FOS specifically says the opportunities under discussion range from “pro football insider” to “opinionist/personality.”

But what about The Athletic itself?

A return cannot be described as permanently impossible based on the information available. There is no public statement saying Russini is barred from ever returning. But there is also nothing in the current reporting suggesting that The Athletic is considering bringing her back. The circumstances make that distinction important.

Russini resigned on April 14, rather than remaining with the publication until her contract expired on June 30. In her resignation letter, she said she stood behind her work and did not want the surrounding media frenzy to define her career. “I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career,” she wrote.

The Athletic then continued examining her journalism even after she left. Its review was extensive: 903 stories, 77 videos, 204 Scoop City episodes, around 25 off-platform appearances and interviews, and conversations with roughly 14 staffers. It also compared about 75 stories involving Vrabel or his teams with coverage from other publications.

The conclusion was complicated rather than absolute. The Athletic found that Russini had clearly violated its standards by failing to disclose her relationship with Vrabel. But the review also found “scant evidence” that the relationship affected her coverage of Vrabel, the Patriots or the Titans. Only about 5% of the 903 pieces reviewed mentioned Vrabel or one of his teams.

That does not erase the editorial violation. The Athletic also flagged four pieces for standards problems, including three videos, and raised concerns about some of Russini’s favorable descriptions of Vrabel. The investigation further criticized her handling of the initial confrontation with the New York Post, saying she waited two days to inform her managers and then gave an explanation of the photos that did not align with the facts, creating a trust issue.

But the report stopped short of establishing that Russini had systematically used her position to promote Vrabel. Mike Semel, The Athletic’s editorial director for standards and quality, wrote that most of her coverage involving Vrabel or the Patriots was “transactional and newsy” and that he had not found a clear link showing she used her platform to help Vrabel or his teams. That finding may explain why her return is becoming possible now.

A potential employer no longer has to make a decision while The Athletic’s investigation is unfinished. There is also the calendar.

When Russini resigned in April, the NFL was heading into the draft and offseason cycle with an unresolved newsroom investigation hanging over her. Now, the league is days away from starting a new season, and an experienced NFL insider who has spent months away from the spotlight is suddenly available at one of the busiest points on the football calendar. FOS reports that she is expected to make her move sooner rather than later.