Stephen A. Smith plans HUGE career move at ESPN amid reports he wants a new $25million-a-year contract

Stephen A. Smith is already a central figure in ESPN’s daytime and NBA programming. Now the sports pundit wants to try his hand at the NFL, while being paid $25 million annually for the privilege.

As Smith told Front Office Sports, he hopes to follow in his idol Howard Cosell’s footsteps by lending his voice to ESPN’s football coverage.

‘I don’t want to insult the legacy of the great Howard Cosell, who’s somebody that I idolized. But that’s what I want to do,’ Smith told Front Office Sports.

But unlike Cosell, who did play by play for ABC in addition to other various roles from 1953 until 1985, Smith doesn’t want to be in the booth.

‘When I think about the NFL, I’m not talking about being in the booth with [ESPN Monday Night Football announcers] Troy Aikman and Joe Buck,’ Smith said. ‘You don’t mess with that chemistry; you leave that alone. But I’m unapologetic about what I want.

‘I would love to be a part of Monday Night Football. I would love to work with [Monday Night Countdown’s new cast including] Jason Kelce and Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Clark and my man Marcus Spears. I mean, two of those guys are on First Take every week.’

Unlike Cosell, who did play by play for ABC until 1985, Smith doesn’t want to be in the booth

Obviously the decision on what to do with Smith is up to ESPN and chairman Jimmy Pitaro.

‘Of course, I believe that I can do it,’ Smith told Front Office Sports. ‘When you think about Howard Cosell and what he meant to the business, do I believe I have the potential to mean nearly as much? Yes, I do. So that’s my opinion. It doesn’t mean that opinion is shared by others. We’ll find out …’

Multiple outlets have been reporting that Smith seeks $25 million from ESPN as part of his next deal.

The 56-year-old is already a popular podcaster and ESPN host, working on such programs as First Take and the World Wide Leader’s in-studio NBA coverage.

ESPN may not be the only suitor for Smith, who has recently dipped his toe into political infotainment with appearances on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show. The New York native could create his own platform, with the help of his agency, WME.

‘I think what ESPN is up against is the possibility that WME could go out and create an architecture where Stephen A. has a podcast, a deal with this, a deal with that, whatever, and at the end of the day, it’s $20 million a year,’ James Andrew Miller told SI Media’s Jimmy Traina in June. ‘Smith currently has a podcast partnership with iHeartMedia, and recently produced a documentary for ESPN about the history of sports punditry.

‘I do believe there are enough possibilities … that Stephen A. can get outside of ESPN and even outside an exclusive deal with another network that could make him very happy and very rich,’ Miller added.