Stephen A. Smith is now the $ 100 million ESPN man.
The first host of the Toma, an analyst at the NBA, Podcast and the guest to a frequent interview program agreed a five -year contract that will pay that sum of nine figures, According to Andrew Marchand of Athletics.
He previously won $ 12 million a year, so he almost doubled his salary with the world leader after months of speculation about his contract.
Previously The Wall Street Journal Inform Smith rejected an offer of $ 18 million a year of ESPN. Since then, multiple points of sale have reported that I was looking for $ 25 million annually of the network as part of its next agreement.
Although Smith will remain in the first shot, his diurnal daily show in ESPN, the tireless worker will not be so extensively on the network, a source told The Athletic.
The first host of the Toma, NBA analyst, Podcast and guest to the frequent interview program agreed a five -year contract that will pay that sum of nine figures, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic
It is possible that ESPN has not been the only suitor for Smith, who has recently submerged the foot in the political info -learning with appearances in the Fox News program of Sean Hannity and the 'Random Club' of Bill Maher. The New York native could have created his own platform, with the help of his agency, WME, according to One Sports Media Insider.
“I think it faces ESPN is the possibility that WME can leave and create an architecture where Stephen A. has an podcast, an agreement with this, an agreement with that, whatever, and at the end of the day, they are $ 20 million a year,” James Andrew Miller told Jimmy coach of himself in June.
'Smith currently has a podcast association with Iheartmedia, and recently produced a documentary for ESPN about the history of sports experience.
“I think there are enough possibilities … so that Stephen A. can leave ESPN and even out of an exclusive agreement with another network that could make it very happy and very rich,” Miller added.
As Smith told Front Office Sports in September, he hopes to follow the steps of his idol Howard Cosell by lending his voice to ESPN football coverage.
'I don't want to insult the legacy of the great Howard Cosell, who is someone who idolatré. But that's what I want to do, '' Smith told the main office.
But unlike Cosell, who played for ABC game, in addition to other diverse roles from 1953 to 1985, Smith does not want to be in the stand.
“When I think about the NFL, I'm not talking about being at the stand with (ESPN Monday Night) Troy Aikman and Joe Buck,” Smith said. 'Don't get that chemistry; You leave it alone. But I don't apologize about what I want.
'I would love to be part of the Monday Night Football. I would love to work (the new cast of Monday Night Countdown, including) Jason Kelce and Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Clark and my man Marcus Spears. I mean, two of those guys are in the first take every week.
Obviously, the decision about what to do with Smith depends on ESPN and President Jimmy Pitaro.
“Of course, I think I can do it,” Smith told Front ofment Sports. 'When you think of Howard Cosell and what it meant for the business, do I think I have the potential to mean almost so much? Yes. So that's my opinion. It does not mean that others opinion is shared by others. We will discover … '