Everyone in the sports landscape knows who Stephen A. Smith is by now. He’s hard to miss on ESPN, where he’s frequently featured on various NBA segments, providing his takes on all the trending topics in the basketball world.
Smith first became associated with ESPN back in 2005. He’s spent the last 20 years building up his platform to where he’s now one of the most recognizable sports figures in the world.
But now it’s time for Smith to negotiate a new contract. His current deal with ESPN expires in July 2025, but both sides don’t want to wait until the final minute to lock in their future together.
Stephen A. Smith could soon make $20 million annually
According to Front Office Sports, Smith would like to become the “highest-paid talent” at ESPN. Troy Aikman currently holds that honor, earning $18 million per season as ESPN’s color commentator for Monday Night Football. Yet, reports suggest Smith could command a salary of $20 million.
The report adds that if ESPN isn’t willing to meet his asking price, he could very well abandon the network and branch out on his own, moving forward with his personalized podcast and production company, Mr. SAS Inc. Another possibility that’s been mentioned is Smith trying his hand at becoming a late-night talk show host, replacing Jimmy Kimmel at ABC.
Another route could involve Smith getting involved in politics. Could you imagine him bickering with those who hold opposing viewpoints in the political landscape? It could become must-see TV for folks who enjoy that type of discussion.
Lastly, if Smith does stay at ESPN, there’s talk of him doubling down on his coverage, both covering the NBA, and possibly soon, the NFL too.
“I’m looking at the NFL and I’m saying, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my life, but my idol was Howard Cosell, who was in the NFL, I talk about the NFL on First Take every day. I think I can do it. All of a sudden you get excited about it.”
Stephen A. Smith on adding NFL coverage to his workload
For as much as Smith can get NBA fans worked up, we’d imagine he’d have a smooth transition to the NFL too. But Dallas Cowboys fans might not like it, as he’s notoriously negative toward Jerry Jones’s team. Our guess is that ESPN doesn’t care who the popular TV analyst shades as long as it gets ratings.