Stephen A. Smith might not be ESPN’s highest-paid talent, but he is the most important and dominant talent at the company, something he continues to prove daily.
Because of his success, he wants to BE the highest-paid talent at the company, which includes ESPN’s parent company, Disney.
According to Variety, this summer Smith was offered a multi-year contract in the realm of $18 million per year that included a bigger presence across Disney-owned properties. That would be a 50% increase from his current deal of $12 million per year, which expires in 2025.
The Athletic reports that now Smith and his team are currently in negotiations with the network on a rumored six-year, $120 million deal, which would make him the highest-paid on-air, non-licensing deal talent in ESPN history.
Many will balk at that number, especially those who tire of Smith’s rants and sometimes ridiculous takes.
Yet as we’ve said many times before, regardless of your feelings, Smith deserves that payday.
NFL broadcasters are some of the highest-paid media talents.
Tony Romo has a reported 10-year, $175 – $180 million deal with CBS Sports. If all incentives are met, he would receive $18 million annually.
In 2022, ESPN lured Troy Aikman and Joe Buck over to the network to call Monday Night Football games for a reported five-year, $92.5 million deal and a five-year, $60-75 million deal, respectively.
ESPN has licensed the Pat McAfee Show on a five-year deal worth over $85 million and Fox Sports is paying Tom Brady $37.5 million per year as an NFL analyst.
Seeing those eye-popping numbers, and knowing all of the time, work, travel and effort he’s put in over 21 years with ESPN, Stephen A. understands his value and how to quantify it.
Some might say it was easy as he worked for the biggest sports network on the planet, but Smith has had his fair share of challenges, blunders and failures.
In 2005, he ripped Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson for being “unavailable” for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals without taking the time to learn that Robinson was absent due to his mother’s funeral.
In 2007, Smith’s show Quite Frankly was canceled and two years later, he and ESPN parted ways.
That could have been the end of his ESPN career, but Smith put his ego aside, recognized his faults, and took the time to learn what the media business is all about- ratings and revenue.
“You do your research and understand what your job is,” Smith said in an interview with Valuetainment.
So after he and the network mended fences, he got back to work.
In April of 2012, when legendary NYC radio station 98.7 KISS FM transitioned to sports after ESPN bought the signal, Smith was the first voice the network put on-air. He then used the radio waves to rebuild his image and presence, eventually landing on ESPN’s First Take with then-host Skip Bayless.
But even then he still stumbled.
In 2014, Smith blundered badly while addressing the infamous Ray Rice domestic violence issue.
“We know you have no business putting your hands on a woman,” said Smith, who then, inexplicably, added, “Let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions.”
He issued multiple apologies but ESPN suspended him for a week.
In 2017, he was ripped by fans for his horrendous debut as a boxing commentator for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Joe Horn fight.
A year later, fans roasted him for multiple blunders on First Take after commenting on a Thursday Night Football matchup between the Chiefs and Chargers and mentioning two players who weren’t playing and one who wasn’t even on the Chiefs.
Despite these setbacks and mistakes, Smith never went silent.
He’s made his mark on sports media and now he’s extending his reach into news and politics, appearing on Fox News and NewsNation. He also launched his own show, The Stephen A. Smith Show, which attracts fans who want unfiltered takes that he can’t provide on Disney’s airwaves.
Smith attracts audiences no matter if he’s debating on First Take or commenting on NBA Countdown. And don’t let the Dallas Cowboys lose, because everyone rushes to his X account to see his video response.
Stephen A. has won and failed, but he never quits. That work ethic has provided him with a successful career paved with ups and downs and options.
So whether you love him or hate him, you’re tuning in, and that’s just another reason why he deserves his big payday.
