How Pat McAfee 'could help Stephen A. Smith land ESPN's first $100million contract'

With statement negotiations ongoing betwixt ESPN and Stephen A. Smith, his behaviour during those talks has apparently earned him immoderate brownie points.

Smith's statement is astir to expire and nan 56-year-old appears insistent that he stays astatine ESPN for nan future.

Sources told FrontOfficeSports that Smith is 'earning plentifulness of respect from ESPN guidance for nan measurement he's handling his statement negotiations - arsenic good arsenic his continued willingness to do immoderate it takes to support nan 4 letters connected top.'

FOS besides pointed retired that his team-player attack to these negotiations is different from nan antics and hijinks that chap big-name media characteristic Pat McAfee occasionally subscribes to.

As an insider told nan publication, ' I’ve sewage to springiness Stephen A. credit. He’s utilized that McAfee is specified a bad squad subordinate to his ain advantage. He brings connected only ESPN people; McAfee brings connected Shams [Charania]. 

'That’s nan benignant of point Stephen A. Smith would ne'er do. He lets Pat McAfee frustrate nan ESPN executives truthful much, they’re like, "F*** it. Stephen A. is simply a bully squad player."'

Smith could beryllium connected way to go nan first $100million man astatine nan institution - particularly considering really galore roles he fills arsenic a workplace expert astatine ESPN.

Considering an particularly beardown first half of 2024 for nan company, and nan salaries of his contemporaries ($85million complete 5 years for McAfee, arsenic an example), and that number mightiness not beryllium arsenic unreachable arsenic it sounds.

According to FOS sources, Smith's caller compensation 'could yet travel successful betwixt $20million and $25million per twelvemonth complete 5 years.' 

Smith and McAfee look astatine times to beryllium polar opposites of each different - moreover boiling complete into a imaginable beef earlier this year.

FOS sources said 'ESPN brass loves 37-year-old McAfee’s entreaty to younger viewers; his capacity connected College GameDay; and his expertise to book A-list guests including Aaron Rodgers, Bill Belichick, Nick Saban, Peyton Manning, and Caitlin Clark.'

But McAfee's inclination to alert disconnected nan grip has been an eyesore. He had to apologize for his domiciled successful nan Aaron Rodgers vs. Jimmy Kimmel feud and again precocious for calling Caitlin Clark a 'white b***h'.

He's besides publically gone aft ESPN executive Norby Williamson - calling nan institution seasoned a 'rat' trying to 'sabotage' his show backmost successful January of this year. Williamson yet near nan company.