Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Thursday evening that Smith had agreed to a five-year/$100 million extension, a pact that will take him out of contention for the White House in 2028 but certainly not out of the political discourse.
Smith doesn't discuss politics directly on ESPN typically, but does on the Stephen A. Smith show (which he owns) and with FOX News hosts like Mark Levine, Jesse Waters and Sean Hannity, among other political personalities.
Not only does ESPN permit him to lean into politics away from the network, but his new contract — while still paying him an incredible amount — could actually allow him a bit more "free time" to focus on non-sports topics.
As Marchand points out, Smith's responsibilities on ESPN will no longer include "NBA Countdown" after the 2024-25 season concludes. Turner, which is losing NBA rights, will license the wildly-popular "Inside The NBA" with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny "The Jet" Smith to ESPN starting next season.
However, don't take that to mean you won't still be seeing SAS on the four-letter network.
In fact, Michael McCarthy and Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports say that Smith is likely to appear on ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football, along with the likes of Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce, Marcus Spears and Adam Schefter:
As previously reported by FOS, Smith will also get a crack at Monday Night Football like his childhood idol Howard Cosell, said sources. Look for him to make appearances on the Monday Night Countdown pregame show starting this season.
Whether you love Stephen A., hate him or fall somewhere in the middle, it's hard to deny his work ethic. As the 57-year-old creeps towards what many see as retirement age, he not only continues to be the face of ESPN, but also now has his own show and clearly is trying to get his foot in the political door in some form.
