It’s clear that Stephen A Smith would like to remain with ESPN. Though, it may cost the biggest Sports media company lots of money. In fact, they’d have to make him their highest-paid personality.

“Yes. I’m not stuttering. Hell, yes, that’s absolutely true,” Smith said. “I’ve mastered my own business in the world of sports television. Clay Travis, I’ve been number one for 12 years. April 1st will mark 12 consecutive years I’ve been number one. Not only have I been number one every year, I’ve been number one every week and every month of every year for the last 12 years.

“You don’t get to say that about too many people. I look at whether it’s Pat McAfee, it’s Mike Greenberg, it’s Scott Van Pelt, it’s Troy Aikman, it’s Joe Buck, it’s Kirk Herbstreit. The list goes on and on. I’m so honored to have the colleagues that I have that I work with at ESPN every day. And at the end of the day, it would be nice, one day, for this man to stand before everyone and be like, ‘I’m number one and this says I’m number one.’”

The last deal that Stephen A Smith signed was a $12 million deal in 2019, so that contract is coming to an end. Smith is not the highest-paid personality at ESPN. The numbers have been surpassed by Aikman, Buck and McAfee in recent years. There’s a reason that those three are paid what they are. They go viral week after week. McAfee’s ratings have been amazing.

Smith pulls in some numbers, sure but they are not on the same page as any of those three. What could be classified as ‘funny’ though is that earlier this year, Stephen A Smith stated he doesn’t ‘give a damn‘ about his colleagues making more money.

“I’m not just a talent. I’m a business,” Smith told Travis. “I’ve got my own production company. I’ve got my own YouTube channel. I’ve got my own show. It’s not even just a podcast. It’s a show with a fully loaded television studio. That’s what I built for myself, that could go linear or digital. The list goes on and on. I’m doing all of these things. I’m not doing all of that to be in second place. I’m not doing all of that to look up at somebody else and see that they’re making more than me when I’m producing superior ratings and revenue. No, I’m not doing that. And I’m not apologizing to anybody for it.”

Smith and ESPN probably will work out a fair deal. Whether or not, they make him the highest-paid talent. Once, you factor in all that he does… he deserves a lucrative deal.

“I’ve been treated incredibly well by ESPN,” Smith admitted during his OutKick appearance. “I expect to continue to be treated well by ESPN. Again, I’ve got great relationships and what have you, but this is a business and Disney has a right to run its business the way it sees fit. ESPN does as well. But if they do, so do I. I hope that we’re able to work it out. I’m confident that we will, because I’m incredibly happy there. But we’ll see.”

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