ESPN offered Stephen A. Smith an $18 million contract

ESPN does not want one of its biggest personalities to leave the sports giant.

The network offered “First Take” talking head Stephen A. Smith a five-year, $90 million deal ($18 million per year) to stay at ESPN, with his contract expiring in 2025, according to Puck News .

ESPN reportedly pitched William Morris Endeavor (WME), the agency that represents Smith, with the idea that he could become the world leader’s highest-paid talent.

ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith reports before Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center on June 12, 2024 in Dallas. — ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith reports ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Mavericks. Getty Images

Still, according to Puck, Smith would be looking for around $25 million per year.

Before the start of the 2022 NFL season, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman signed mega-contracts to join ESPN, with the latter signing a deal worth around $90 over five years, The Post reported at the time.

The news comes about a week after journalist and reporter James Andrew Miller spoke on the “SI Media with Jimmy Traina” podcast about the early stages of contract negotiations and that Smith wanted a “big, big number.”

“The Stephen A. deal is coming,” Miller said on the show last week. “In fact, I think there have already been some preliminary discussions that have started. He’s looking for a really big number,” Miller said. “And I also feel like, given the world of content, he doesn’t even need to have another offer from an entity for that high of an amount.

“I think what ESPN faces is the possibility that WME could create an architecture where Stephen A. would have a podcast, a this, a deal with this, a deal with that, whatever, and ultimately In total, it’s $20 million a year.

Smith joined ESPN in 2003 and held various positions, including running his own show “Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith” on ESPN2 from 2005 to 2007.

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith speaks before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on December 20, 2019. — ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith speaks before a game between the Mavericks and 76ers in 2019. Getty Images

Today, Smith, 56, a former newspaper columnist, is best known for his chatter on “First Take” and “NBA Countdown,” seemingly making headlines daily for his opinions on a multitude of topics.

Outside of ESPN, he hosts “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” a podcast where he discusses just about everything, going well beyond sports whenever he pleases.

Miller added on the Sports Illustrated podcast that Smith could leave ESPN if it becomes necessary.

“I think there is enough opportunity for Stephen A. to get results outside of ESPN and even outside of an exclusive deal with another network that could make him very happy and very rich,” said Miller.