Stephen A. Smith looks set to stay with ESPN as he enters the final year of his contract.
The two sides have been negotiating a new deal for months Variety now reports that a final agreement may only be a few weeks away. The contract could create a first-look deal for Smith’s other potential endeavors at the network, a source told Variety.
ESPN has not commented on the case.
Formerly the This is reported by the Wall Street Journal Smith turned down an offer from ESPN worth $18 million per year. Multiple media outlets have since reported that he is asking for $25 million annually from ESPN as part of his next deal.
The 56-year-old is already a popular podcaster and ESPN host, working on shows like First Take and the World Wide Leader’s NBA coverage in the studio. There has been some speculation that he could join Inside the NBA when the popular TNT-produced show moves to ESPN next season, but network president Burke Magnus dismissed that idea in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
ESPN may not have been the only candidate for Smith, who recently dipped his toe into political infotainment with appearances on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show and Bill Maher’s “Club Random.” According to a sports media insider, the New York native could have created his own platform with the help of his agency WME.
Stephen A. Smith appears set to stay at ESPN, according to a new report from Variety
“I think what ESPN is running into is the possibility that WME could create an architecture where Stephen A. has a podcast, a deal with this, a deal with that, whatever, and ultimately it’s $20 million a year,” said James Andrew Miller vs. SI Media’s Jimmy Traina in June.
‘Smith currently has a podcast partnership with iHeartMedia and recently produced a documentary for ESPN on the history of sports punditry.
“I really believe there’s plenty of opportunity … that Stephen A. could get outside of ESPN and even get outside of an exclusive deal with another network, which could make him very happy and very wealthy,” Miller added.
If Smith told Front Office Sports in September he hopes to follow in the footsteps of his idol Howard Cosell by lending his voice to ESPN’s football coverage.
“I don’t want to insult the legacy of the great Howard Cosell, someone I idolized. But that’s what I want to do,” Smith told Front Office Sports.
But unlike Cosell, who starred for ABC in addition to other roles from 1953 to 1985, Smith doesn’t want to be boxed in.
“When I think about the NFL, I’m not talking about being in the booth [ESPN Monday Night Football announcers] Troy Aikman and Joe Buck,” Smith said. ‘You shouldn’t mess with that chemistry; that leaves you alone. But I am unapologetic about what I want.
“I would love to be a part of Monday Night Football. I would like to cooperate [Monday Night Countdown’s new cast including] Jason Kelce and Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Clark and my husband Marcus Spears. I mean, two of those guys are on First Take every week.”
Obviously, the decision on what to do with Smith is up to ESPN and chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
“Of course I believe I can do it,” Smith told Front Office Sports. “When you think about Howard Cosell and what he meant to the company, do I believe I have the potential to mean almost as much? Yes, I do. So that’s my opinion. It does not mean that the opinion is shared by others. We’ll find out…’