Stephen A. Smith has been in contract negotiations with ESPN for several months, and a new report shed some light on how much the longtime analyst could make with his new deal.
According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Smith and ESPN have been negotiating a deal that is in the range of $120 million over six years. Though a $20 million salary would be the highest ever for an ESPN personality, Smith is not satisfied with where the talks currently stand.
Smith told Marchand via text message that any reports of him and ESPN being on the verge of a deal are “False.” He added that he will never divulge details of his contract negotiations.
There had been rumblings over the summer that ESPN has offered Smith $18 million per year, which would represent a significant raise over the $12 million he currently makes.
Smith’s $12 million annual compensation package consists of $8 million in salary and $4 million for his production company. If he gets to the $20 million figure with his new deal, Marchand notes that the contract will likely include compensation from ESPN, Disney Entertainment and ESPN Bet.
One previous report claimed Smith could be leveraging another top ESPN personality in his own negotiations with the network.
Smith has shown an increasing interest in branching out into politics, but remains fully rooted in ESPN’s sports coverage. The 57-year-old is arguably ESPN’s most visible on-air personality.
