Earlier this week, Rick Kaplan‘s name was mentioned as a contender for the Good Morning America EP job. When his departure from MSNBC was announced today, some observers wondered if the timing was more than a coincidence. The AP even mentioned the speculation.

Tonight, a tipster suggested that NBC let him go because he was talking to ABC. But Kaplan isn’t abandoning MSNBC and scurrying to another network overnight. He hasn’t started looking for a new job, according to a source. I bet he’s going to take some time off before he even starts thinking about his next chapter.

> Kaplan’s goodbye note: “It is not often in professional life that someone has the opportunity to end his tenure on such a high note…”