Stephen A. Smith, ESPN agrees on $ 100 million. Contract that lets him talk more about politics: sources

Stephen A. Smith has accepted a new contract with ESPN worth at least $ 100 million in five years, an agreement that will result in Smith continuing to play the lead role of “First Take” on ESPN while scaling some of his other required performance The athletic.

Smith will remain a fixture of “First Take”, his daily morning flagship at ESPN, but will be less ubiquitous on the rest of the network, the sources said, and spoke on condition of anonymity because the conditions of the agreement were not expected to be publicly announced. Smith won’t be a regular on ESPN’s premiere NBA -Pregame -Show anymore, though he could still perform occasional appearances at Top Basketball Studio programs as well as “Monday Night Football” pre -explorations or during other big time events.

ESPN refused to comment.

Smith has been a fixture on ESPN’s Top NBA -Pregame show, “Countdown”, which precedes the final. ESPN has signed a license agreement with TNT for the Charles Barkley-led “inside the NBA.” Smith supported the move

The freedom figures for giving Smith the opportunity to make even more appearances on other platforms to speak politics, and it also gives him the chance to make more money outside ESPN.

Smith, 57, has been very vocal about President Donald Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris and today’s question to the point that he is now mentioned as a potential presidential candidate. He has regularly appeared on other shows, including interviews with Sean Hannity on Fox News, and at “The Stephen A. Smith Show” speak broadly over sports about questions that are in the news.

He has talked about the opportunity to run to president, but has neglected the idea that he would actually campaign when he has said he is enjoying his life.

If he somehow had to run after the democratic nomination in 2028, he would probably only be able to fulfill part of his contract with ESPN. Smith earlier earned $ 12 million a year with the network.

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