Stephen A. Smith looking at NFL coverage to lock down $20,000,000 ESPN extension: Report
Stephen A. Smith has commanded much of the airwaves over the last 15 years. As such, he wants to be rewarded for his services. Otherwise, he might try some different avenues.
According to various reports aggregated by Front Office Sports, the First Take host could leave the company to "strike out on his own."
Additionally, he could also say goodbye to his basketball coverage and go all-in on the NFL. The report specifies that a $20,000,000 annual salary could be the difference. His current deal expires at roughly the same time as one of his favorite topics: Dak Prescott.
Parallel to the Cowboys quarterback, Stephen A. Smith is pulling for a massive pay raise. The report specifies that he wants to be the highest-paid member of the channel, passing Troy Aikman. The latter currently earns $18 million per year.
The report also notes why he is interested in pursuing the NFL as a fan of Howard Cosell growing up. Smith explained his line of thinking at the Barrett Sports Media Summit in March.
“I’m looking at the NFL and I’m saying, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my life, but my idol was Howard Cosell, who was in the NFL. I talk about the NFL on First Take every day. I think I can do it.' All of a sudden you get excited about it.”
Stephen A. Smith's First Take takes unofficial hiatus from NFL talk
The report comes at an interesting time for his flagship show. When the NFL news cycle is in full swing from August until mid-May, the show usually has a large segment of every episode dedicated to the sport.
However, the show has barely produced one NFL segment per week since the NBA hit its zenith in April.
At the time of writing, the NFL on ESPN YouTube channel hasn't posted a First Take segment on the sport since June 12. The topic centered on Mike Tomlin's extension and lasted five minutes and nine seconds.
If Stephen A. Smith were to transition to the NFL full-time, he would need to find ways to talk about the sport during times when news slows down. He also would need to expand his coverage to talking about more than the biggest stories in the league.
This likely would mean potentially looking deep into the roster of every franchise in the NFL. It would not be enough to focus on the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets' stars and keep fresh topics.
The veteran host would need to get out of First Take's comfort zone and educate fans on lesser-known players. He would need to dive into training camp battles multiple layers deep, and otherwise grow as a member of the media.
Of course, if Stephen A. Smith frees up his schedule from covering the NBA's Boston Celtics and other trending teams, he can go as deep as he wants. However, for an NFL-only move to work, it might take turning his back on a steady paycheck with a company he has worked with for a large chunk of his life.
Will Stephen A. Smith choose to swap conversations about the Minnesota Timberwolves for topics like backup training camp battle for the Jacksonville Jaguars?