Stephen A. Smiths new $100M ESPN deal will require less of him

Stephen A.Smith is sticking with ESPN — and getting a hefty payday to boot.Smith and the network agreed to a new five-year, $100 million contract to keep him in the fold, The Athletic reported Thursday afternoon.

It’s been a long process between Smith and ESPN to get a new deal.Over, the summer, Puck News reported that the sports behemoth offered Smith a five-year, $90 million contract, and in December, multiple outlets reported that Smith was on the verge of a new contract worth $120 million over six years.At that point, Smith refuted that anything was done.

“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 after saying it was “false” that the deal was close.According to The Athletic’s report on Thursday, Smith will focus most of his efforts as a talking head for his spot on “First Take.”However, Smith is likely to take a step back from other duties at ESPN like appearances on the network’s NBA programming.

Smith hasn’t been shy about talking politics on his eponymous podcast, even as speculation has ramped up that he could run as a Democratic presidential nominee.A McLaughlin & Associates poll in January showed Smith garnering 2 percent of respondents.He was asked by Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday’s “Tonight Show” what he thought about a recent headline from The Hill that wondered if he could run as the next chief executive of the United States.“I did not ask for this.

I don’t want to do this.I happen to have a very, very, very good life.

A very good job.I’m good,” Smith said. “I’m saying, wait a minute now, I don’t want to do this.

But the fact that they’re talking about me this way, I must say, I approve this message.”Formerly a print journalist, Smith has been a mainstay at ESPN since 2003 in various roles, with his panelist job on “First Take” being his most prominent spot....