Adam Schefter falls for Aaron trade news at the Masters: Here’s what really happened

Imagine walking through one of the most prestigious golf courses in the world, soaking in the scenery at the Masters, when suddenly, someone drops a bombshell on you. For Adam Schefter, that bombshell came in the form of a completely fake NFL trade and the prankster wasn’t just any fan; it was someone who knew exactly how to throw Schefter off his game.


As the ESPN NFL insider made his way around Augusta National, one unsuspecting fan had the perfect setup to throw Schefter into a full-blown panic. The conversation started innocently enough, with the fan approaching Schefter and casually saying:
“Did you hear about the humungous NFL trade?!”
For a guy like Schefter, who makes his living off breaking NFL news faster than anyone else, this was the kind of sentence that could have meant the scoop of a lifetime. But with his phone locked away (because no phones allowed at the Masters), Schefter was in a full-blown panic, wondering if he was missing out on some massive story. His brain immediately started to race—was Aaron Rodgers finally heading back to Green Bay? Maybe there was a blockbuster trade involving a star player?

Schefter confessed later that, in that moment, his heart “dropped into [his] stomach”. The anxiety of potentially missing out on breaking news was real.
Just as Schefter was about to break into full-on NFL insider mode and start hunting for details, the fan hit him with the ultimate punchline: “I’m only kidding.”
Cue the rush of relief. But also, a bit of frustration. Schefter admitted on his The Adam Schefter Podcast that the prank genuinely scared him, "That wasn't that funny. I gotta be honest with you... and he scared the crap out me, to be honest with you. Like my heart dropped into my stomach when he said that. But it was an unbelievable experience to be there, other than that one little moment on the course of Friday."
It’s easy to see why, when you’re known for getting the biggest scoops, any delay can feel like a disaster.

What really added to Schefter’s anxiety was his immediate thought that maybe this wasn’t just some random trade, maybe it was a huge storyline he’d missed while on the course. Was Rodgers actually coming back to the Packers? Could this be the start of another massive NFL trade season?
Schefter’s mind went into overdrive, knowing full well that anything could happen in the NFL, and if it did, he’d want to be the first to report it.
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While the prank certainly threw Schefter off, he ultimately embraced the lighter side of the experience. He called the whole thing “unbelievable” and said the highlight of his weekend was watching Rory McIlroy win a thrilling playoff. After all, it wasn’t all about NFL trades, Schefter got to witness one of the most exciting finishes in golf.