Report: Stephen A. Smith could get Von Miller money on his next contract

If ESPN is going to keep its most valuable employee, the worldwide leader in sports will have to pay Stephen A. Smith like he just won the Super Bowl.

Smith signed a five-year contract with ESPN in 2019, which was later revealed to be worth $12 million annually.

He's due for an extension - or a sizeable contract elsewhere - in the near future, and Front Office Sports reported on Monday that he could command a contract worth $20 million per year.

Without "an offer of at least $20 million... they could risk losing the face and voice of the network," wrote FOS senior writer Michael McCarthy.

That's the same amount of money the Bills gave edge-rusher Von Miller after he won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams. 

Based on Smith's importance to the network, it's hard to argue his value. Among ESPN employees, he trails "Monday Night Football"'s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, as well as Pat McAfee in terms of annual salary.

Earlier this month, "First Take" set a record for viewership with 1.5 million people tuning into the Monday, Jan. 15 telecast following the Cowboys' 48-32 loss to the Packers during Super Wild Card Weekend.

Per the press release announcing the numbers, ESPN also noted the show has "17 consecutive months of year-over-year viewership growth." In December, FOS reported the show crushed its competition - FS1's "Undisputed" - in the ratings from September through November, with an average of 554,000 viewers compared to 120,000 for the Skip Bayless-led program.

His value is well-known, but ESPN re-upping at the tune of $20 million per year after undergoing substantial layoffs last year would be a surprise. Still, FOS noted in November that "Disney reported ESPN's operating income surged 16 percent" during the fourth quarter, so it shouldn't have to look far to find the money to complete the deal.

With Smith's success at the network, he's put enormous pressure on ESPN to get an extension done. Maybe he isn't so different from Miller, after all.