Is Shannon Sharpe on the verge of overtaking Stephen A. Smith on the bottom line?
The Hall-of-Fame tight end remains one of the most popular figures in sports media thanks to his successful Club Shay Shay podcast, former tenure at Fox Sports, and occasional guests sports on Smith’s ESPN show, First Take.
Now, Front Office Sports is reporting that Sharpe has received multiple offers as his current media deal with Colin Cowherd’s platform, The Volume, is set to expire. Furthermore, sources tell FSO Sharpe’s next deal is expected to exceed $100 million, which happens to be the reported amount Smith got in his recent contract negotiations with ESPN.
That might come as a surprise, but Sharpe does have a massive audience. A recent interview with comedian Katt Williamson hit nearly 90 million views and Club Shay Shay currently boasts around 4 million subscribers, making it among the most popular podcasts in sports and entertainment.
Regardless of whether Sharpe’s next deal surpasses $100 million in total value, it will assuredly exceed the $22 million he made over 14 NFL seasons with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
It’s unclear if Sharpe’s next podcast deal will impact his guest spots on ESPN. Sharpe’s agent could not be reached for comment.
Is Shannon Sharpe on the verge of overtaking Stephen A. Smith on the bottom line?
Stephen A. Smith struck a reported $100 million deal to stay with ESPN earlier this year
Both Sharpe and Smith previously worked with erstwhile ESPN and Fox Sports host Skip Bayless before joining forces on First Take.
Although their relationship can hardly be described as acrimonious, they do frequently quarrel of Lakers star LeBron James, who is feuding with Smith and adored by Sharpe.
When Sharpe said he wished James could have taken a mid-career retirement break, as Michael Jordan once did to play minor league baseball, Smith erupted.
‘You should be ashamed of yourself! That is nonsense,’ Smith responded.
The two then descended into a debate over the different levels of physicality in the league between Jordan and James’s playing days, with Smith suggesting the Chicago Bulls legend had more justification for taking a break.
‘This is the problem with Shannon Sharpe,’ an incensed Smith began, ordering the camera to pan on to him.
‘This dude [is] in the weight room, he’s got muscles coming out of his ears, he works out all the time, he’s the epitome of physicality but he’s going to ignore how physical the game was when MJ was playing compared to what it is now for LeBron. You’ve got to be kidding me!’
He is no stranger to controversy of his own, having accidentally broadcast himself having sex on an Instagram Live video in September.
Sharpe initially claimed he had been hacked, before coming clean and admitting the video was authentic.
