If Stephen A. Smith wants to add another agent to his representation, maybe his former ESPN colleague Dan Le Batard would be interested.
In the latest podcast episode of the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on YouTube, the host said that ESPN is low-balling Smith with its five-year, $90 million contract offer to remain one the faces of the television network.
An average annual salary of $18 million reportedly would be tops among ESPN’s on-air talent.
“It’s not going to just be money. He’s going to want power and a bunch of other things, because he is the modern-day Howard Cosell, whether you like it or not,” Le Batard said, according to AwfulAnnouncing.com.
“And beyond sports, he’s got conquering ambitions because he is casting a wide net, going on Fox, making sure the audience is as large as it can be as he heads into the leverage of negotiations. Because he can do this for more than $18 million on his own. He doesn’t need ESPN.”
Smith, who joined ESPN in 2003, is seeking about $25 million per year, according to Puck News.
In December, Smith said he deserved to be the highest-paid personality at the World Wide Leader.
Smith’s following is large enough that other networks would be interested if he becomes a free agent.
Or, like Le Batard said, there are digital avenues whereby he could produce his own product and thrive off of sponsorship revenue.
ESPN’s Smith-featured morning program “First Take” had its most-watched year in 2023 and closed with its second-biggest month ever in December, according to the network.
First Take’s growing presence on YouTube and social media was responsible for much of the spike as Smith’s brash hot takes resonate with a younger audience.
“I find it interesting that in our time, the person who is at the top of our profession is now being offered reportedly at ESPN, the highest salary in the history of the company for a talent,” Le Batard said. “It used to be for [NFL analyst] Jon Gruden at $6.5 million, but the explosion of everything that’s happened has made everybody realize, oh, all these talent are super undervalued.
“Even though everyone listening to this would think it’s ridiculous for anybody to be making the kind of money for doing this nonsense that people can make.”