Josina Anderson Provides Reminder of Why She's Such a Valuable Media Free Agent

Josina Anderson has been on the job market for about two months now. Since her time with ESPN ended in June, she's been reporting news and providing NFL insights on her Twitter account while also making appearances on various radio and podcast shows. We don't know where she'll end up next, but she just provided a reminder to everyone why she's such a valuable free agent.

At 1:45 a.m. ET, Anderson broke the news that Jadeveon Clowney was signing with the Tennessee Titans. More than just getting the scoop on the biggest remaining free agent, however, Anderson got the news from Clowney himself, which is something of a calling card for her. Players like her, they talk to her, they give her access other NFL insiders don't get and that sort of connection is an asset many media companies covet.

While Anderson's time at ESPN ended after nine years, she was one of their top NFL insiders while there, appearing on Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Live, SportsCenter, Get Up and other programs. She broke or helped break many big stories and got exclusive interviews with big names during her time there, including one with Antonio Brown right before the 2020 Super Bowl. She also gets player reactions following big news, including one today from Adrian Peterson after he signed with the Lions.

Of course, not everything was perfect. Last year she got into hot water over her handling of the Myles Garrett-Mason Rudolph incident, which she apologized for. Despite the slip up, she's a pro's pro on camera with the reporting chops to back it up. There aren't a ton of those types out there covering the NFL and there are even fewer Black women doing it. That's a powerful combination that should result in her signing a lucrative deal with a new media company soon.

Where will it be? The options are slightly limited because of her high profile. It's hard to envision her going anywhere but a national broadcasting company with NFL ties like FOX, CBS, NBC or the NFL Network. Perhaps she'd be willing to take a chance with a non-traditional media company like Deion Sanders did with Barstool Sports or maybe she could join Spotify/The Ringer's growing podcast empire. To me, however, she seems more suited to television.

In the meantime, Anderson continues to do what she does best: break news and provide player insights from the players themselves. It's a role she's perfected and soon enough it will lead to a contract with a new company that will be lucky for the exposure Anderson provides.