When Stephen A Smith finalized his new contract with ESPN earlier this year, reports suggested the\u00a0First Take star would move beyond NBA coverage to make more NFL appearances going forward.<\/p>\n
That expectation may be becoming reality.<\/p>\n
At a media event this week, ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro told Front Office Sports<\/a> that Smith (along with the newly extended Chris Berman and the returning Rich Eisen) could have a larger presence on NFL coverage as the Worldwide Leader marches toward its first-ever Super Bowl in 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very open to Stephen getting more involved on the NFL,\u201d said Pitaro. \u201cWe\u2019ve had some exploratory conversations with him. We know that the league really likes Stephen. So there could be something to do there. That being said, we\u2019re really happy with what we have in terms of NFL Live, Sunday [NFL] Countdown, Monday Night Countdown. We feel like we\u2019re in a good spot right now. But there\u2019s always room for someone like Stephen.\u201d<\/p>\n There are a few notable nuggets in that Pitaro comment.<\/p>\n One, it would be somewhat surprising for Smith to be involved in NFL coverage<\/a>. Smith came up as an NBA reporter and columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer and has long been associated with basketball. At ESPN, he has\u00a0recently become the star panelist on\u00a0NBA Countdown.<\/p>\n As Pitaro noted, ESPN also has almost too much NFL analyst talent. Adding a big voice like Smith to\u00a0MNF pregame coverage means even fewer reps for the network\u2019s many reporters and former players.<\/p>\n On a different note, it is interesting that Pitaro publicly states that the NFL \u201creally likes\u201d Smith. Just recently, Jemele Hill claimed that the rumor at ESPN in her time there was that the NBA used to \u201cblock\u201d Smith from appearing on signature basketball programs<\/a>. That changed in 2021 when Smith joined Countdown.<\/p>\n