Stephen A. Smith is nearing a new deal with Disney/ESPN, and a current proposal would give him even more influence within the larger Disney empire according to a report by Variety.
Brian Steinberg reports that the monthslong negotiations could culminate in a new deal over the "next several weeks" and that the deal could include a "first-look" arrangement with Disney.
Smith's interest in a wider entertainment deal comes no surprise given his moves beyond the sports world in recent years. Smith touches a wide array of topics on The Stephen A. Smith Show, his podcast with iHeartMedia, and has appeared on political programming across the ideological spectrum.
Smith currently makes $12 million per year on his ESPN contract that is set to expire in 2025. A June Puck report stated that Disney made an $18 million per year offer to Smith, but that the commentator is seeking a deal worth at least $25 million. A Tuesday evening report by The Athletic put the current proposal in the range of $120 million over six years, though Smith forcefully called the Variety report that the two sides are close "False" in a message to media insider Andrew Marchand.
“Here’s my quote, ‘I was born AT NIGHT, not last night. I don’t talk about my contract negotiations. Never have. Never will," Smith told The Athletic.
James Andrew Miller, the author of 2011 oral history Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN, told Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina in June that Smith could realistically leave ESPN for a more wide-ranging deal.
"He’s looking for a big, big number," Miller said. "And I also feel, given the content world, he doesn’t even have to have another offer from one entity for that big number. I think what ESPN is up against is the possibility that [William Morris Endeavor] could go out and create an architecture where Stephen A. has a podcast, a this, a deal with this, a deal with that, whatever, and at the end of the day, it’s $20 million a year.”
With the potential for Smith to spread his wings at Disney, it appears that the two sides are now nearing a deal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith's New Proposed ESPN Contract Includes Interesting Twist.
