Stephen A. Smith spends a good amount of his time on ESPN's "First Take" analyzing the play of the NFL's franchise QBs.
As it turns out, he would also like to be paid like one.
During a recent appearance on CNN, Smith spoke on ongoing contract negotiations with ESPN and was not shy about his desire for a lucrative contract in the range of $100 million over five years. Smith used Cowboys QB Dak Prescott as an example to explain why he deserves such a deal.
"It ain't false," Smith said when asked about the $100 million figure. "I always want as much money as I can get, I'm not going to apologize to that. I'm a capitalist.
"What I would say to you is — I would ask, respectfully, pay attention to the industry, see what people are getting paid, see how much money they're making and what they're bringing to the table. Look at their ratings, look at their revenue that they're generating and look at mine.
"Dak Prescott just signed a contract for $240 million," Smith continued. "He's making $60 million a year."
What will @stephenasmith’s next contract look like? 🤔
— Boardroom (@boardroom) October 2, 2024
(🎥: @CNN) pic.twitter.com/0zwUnAknxY
When he received pushback regarding Prescott's standing as QB of the Cowboys, Smith responded with a reminder that Prescott "won two playoff games in eight games."
"I've been No. 1 for 12 (years)," Smith said. "I'm sorry, in our respective industries, I win. I'm fully aware of what I'm worth and I will never apologize for that to anybody."
Here is more on Smith's current contract and what he is looking for in the future.
NFL HQ: Live NFL scores | Updated NFL standings | Full NFL schedule
Stephen A. Smith contract
Smith is in the final year of his ESPN deal which sees him earn $12 million annually, per Puck's John Ourand.
Ourand added that Smith is seeking more than the network's reported $18 million annual offer. Smith's recent comments appear to support that reporting. Should Smith receive a contract north of the $20 million annual range, he would surpass Pat McAfee ($17 million), Joe Buck ($15 million) and Troy Aikman ($18 million) to become ESPN's highest-paid employee.
In 2024, only 13 NFL QBs have a cap hit higher than $20 million, per Spotrac.
MORE: How Pat McAfee's contract could help Stephen A. Smith land historic deal
Dak Prescott contract
Ahead of Week 1 of the 2024 season, Prescott signed a four-year, $240 million contract extension with Dallas, keeping him with the organization through the 2028 season while making a lofty AAV of $60 million.
Prescott's extension surges him up to the top of the leaderboards in terms of annual average. His previous average of $40 million per year was tied for the 10th most with Matthew Stafford and Daniel Jones.
| Rank | Player | AAV |
| 1 | Dak Prescott | $60 million |
| 2 | Joe Burrow | $55 million |
| Trevor Lawrence | $55 million | |
| Jordan Love | $55 million | |
| 5 | Tua Tagovailoa | $53.1 million |
MORE: Breaking down Dak Prescott's salary on a per-game basis
Stephen A. Smith net worth
Smith has a net worth of $25 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
As with most net worths for figures like Smith, the exact figure is likely harder to narrow down. In addition to his reported annual ESPN salary of $13 million, Smith is involved in several other endeavors and the figure could be higher.
