The hunt for Adrian Wojnarowski’s successor on ESPN is in full swing. When Woj shocked everyone last week by announcing his retirement from the media industry, the attention immediately went to Shams Charania as he seemed like the obvious choice to take over his former mentor’s role. However, there is one more candidate in line who ESPN could turn to if they are looking for an “out of the box” approach. But that would require Woj to do one last favor for the network he called home for seven years.

As per media veteran Andrew Marchand, ESPN is targeting Shams Charania and Jeff Passan as the top potential candidates to replace Woj. Well, Passan would be a bold choice by the network as he has primarily been associated with Major League Baseball his entire career. Yes, ESPN has ties with MLB and Passan has even been covering the sport on the network for the past five years. But there are rumors of the MLB partnership possibly coming to an end after next season if the network opts out of their current TV deal.

Moreover, the sports media giant is looking for a shift in the role of their top NBA Insider and Jeff Passan could bring that sense of freshness while also utilizing his experience of writing lengthy feature stories and breaking news in the MLB. And that’s where the network will require Adrian Wojnarowski’s assistance. Reportedly, ESPN execs have offered him a consultant role.

So, in case ESPN offers the role to the MLB specialist, he ‘could’ be mentored by Woj and vet analyst Bobby Marks, as per Andrew Marchand’s report. Surely, Woj and Marks’ vast experience and knowledge of covering basketball will teach Passan the Xs and Os of covering the NBA beat and give him a better hold on the sport. But getting the nod over Shams won’t be easy for the MLB Insider.

Shams Charania still a “Plug and Play” Hire for ESPN, but The Athletic has different plans

Well, even if Woj accepts the role of a consultant and agrees to mentor Jeff Passan, there will likely be a transition period for him to make the switch from MLB to NBA. However, that is not the case with Shams, as he is arguably the biggest hoops insider in the league following the big man’s retirement. Well-versed with how things work during trades and with general managers, hiring The Athletic’s star employee would be a full-on ‘Plug and Play’ approach for ESPN. Moreover, there are a ton of similarities between Woj and Shams’ work ethic and style, as they shared a mentor-protégé relationship for many years while working together at Yahoo! Sports.

But ESPN might not get their hands on Shams Charania so easily because he is in high demand, reportedly “talking to everyone at this point” to find the best suitor. The Athletic is expected to do everything it can to retain one of their biggest assets.

Executive Director, Steven Ginsberg made his intentions clear: “We’re not at all surprised by the interest in Shams, whose indispensable coverage of the NBA and its key players continues to set the pace. We’re proud to have him as our colleague and are committed to ensuring he stays with The Athletic for years to come.”

Well, apart from Shams Charania and Jeff Passan, media veterans including Ramona Shelburne, Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, are also potential candidates to replace Woj. Who do you think will get the job?

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.