This is a really interesting profile on how Schefter works:
There are many theories as to why Schefter breaks so much news: when he covered the Denver Broncos, Mike Shanahan must’ve leaked him news; when he was at the NFL Network, the league surely fed him information; when he was represented by the mega-agency CAA, its network of agents must’ve helped him out (Schefter points out he used CAA for just two years and negotiated his last contract by himself two years ago).
But the truth is, sources seem to call him as much as he calls them, and information flows both ways. Midway through his drive to Bristol, a front-office executive from the Kansas City Chiefs rang.
“I think you maybe have another suspension coming down the pike,” Schefter told him. “I don’t think it’s today, but I think it’s coming here before the preseason’s over. . . . Oh, you weren’t aware of that? . . . I think Donald Stephenson. Does that surprise you? I don’t know that for a fact, but I had somebody text me and say, ‘Hey, be on the lookout for Donald Stephenson.’ So, I’m giving you a heads-up in advance. If it starts percolating and you give me a heads-up back, that’d be great.”
Four days later when the info was more solid, Schefter reported to the rest of the world that the Chiefs offensive lineman had been suspended for the first four games of the season.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/adam-schefter-is-nfl-reporting-machine/2014/09/02/93e009f2-32cc-11e4-9f4d-24103cb8b742_story.html