Ryen Russillo could soon be hitting the open market.
On Thursday, The Ringer host joined The Colin Cowherd Podcast to discuss the latest happenings related to the NBA Draft. And in doing so, Russillo casually revealed that his current contract at The Ringer is set to expire in the near future.
“I don’t really feel like talking about Stephen A. [Smith] all that much,” Russillo said during a conversation regarding the challenges of draft coverage. “And you know, hell, my contract’s up here too. So like, what am I going to start doing? Ripping everybody everywhere? That wouldn’t make a ton of sense.”
While Russillo didn’t reveal when exactly his contract will expire, his comments indicate that it’s sooner rather than later. He first announced he was joining The Ringer in August 2019, so it would make sense if his deal came to an end at a similar point on the calendar.
Russillo’s comments also seemingly suggest that he’s open to exploring his options, including a potential return to ESPN. The 49-year-old previously worked at the network from 2008-2019, most notably hosting the SVP & Russillo radio show alongside Scott Van Pelt.
Though best known for his NBA insight, the Hartford, Connecticut, native is a versatile personality who is just as capable of hosting a show as he is serving as an analyst. In addition to the NBA, he also provides plenty of college football content and previously hosted ESPN Radio College GameDay for the Disney-owned network.
While one would imagine that The Ringer would like to retain Russillo, whose Sunday night appearances on The Bill Simmons Podcast have become a staple of the Spotify-owned company’s NBA coverage, it appears the University of Vermont alum is prepared to explore his options. As such, don’t expect him to weigh in on Simmons’ ongoing spat with ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins — or any other personalities at the Worldwide Leader — anytime soon.