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Stephen A. Smith is sticking with ESPN — and getting a hefty payday to boot.
Smith and the network agreed to a new five-year, $100 million contract to keep him in the fold, The Athletic reported Thursday afternoon.
It’s been a long process between Smith and ESPN to get a new deal.
During the summer, Puck News stated that a major sports organization had proposed a five-year, $90 million deal to Smith. By December, various sources mentioned that Smith was close to signing a new contract for $120 million spread over six years.
At that point, Smith refuted that anything was done.
When asked about the contract discussions, Smith declined to comment stating, “I was not born yesterday. I prefer to keep my contract talks private and have always done so,” contrary to reports suggesting an imminent deal.
According to The Athletic’s report on Thursday, Smith will focus most of his efforts as a talking head for his spot on “First Take.”
However, Smith is likely to take a step back from other duties at ESPN like appearances on the network’s NBA programming.
Despite the contract rumors, Smith continues to openly discuss political matters on his self-titled podcast, fueling speculation that he may enter the race for the Democratic presidential nominee.
A McLaughlin & Associates poll in January showed Smith garnering 2 percent of respondents.
He was asked by Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday’s “Tonight Show” what he thought about a recent headline from The Hill that wondered if he could run as the next chief executive of the United States.
“I did not ask for this. I don’t want to do this. I happen to have a very, very, very good life. A very good job. I’m good,” Smith said. “I’m saying, wait a minute now, I don’t want to do this. But the fact that they’re talking about me this way, I must say, I approve this message.”
Formerly a print journalist, Smith has been a mainstay at ESPN since 2003 in various roles, with his panelist job on “First Take” being his most prominent spot.