ESPN star Maria Taylor reportedly wants a ton of money to stay with the network.
According to the New York Post, Taylor wants money in the range of what Stephen A. Smith makes every year, which is in the ballpark of $8 million. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
NEW COLUMN: ESPN made Maria Taylor an offer that would’ve eventually brought her salary to near $5M, she declined it.
Her future at the network is now in limbo.https://t.co/2CcqwmVoc8
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) June 30, 2021
However, it sounds like ESPN and Taylor aren’t close at all on numbers. According to the same report, Taylor previously turned down a deal with a base salary starting at $5 million early during the coronavirus pandemic, but that deal is no longer an option.
With ESPN tightening the belt, it’s believed that ESPN’s topped out at $3 million annually for Taylor. That’s a hell of a long way apart from $8 million.
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I want to see everyone get their money, and I would never cheer against anyone getting paid. I love money. It’s awesome, but I also have a very basic understanding of how business works in the world of media.
You know why guys like Stephen A. Smith, Colin Cowherd and Skip Bayless get paid what they get paid? It’s because there aren’t many people capable of doing what they do.
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Maria Taylor is mostly known for doing NBA and college football work. While she’s talented, there are plenty of people who can do that job, and they’d do it for a lot less than $8 million.
Hell, there are a lot of people who would do it for less than $1 million. So, it doesn’t seem like she has nearly the leverage a guy like Stephen A. Smith does.
Also, ESPN is losing talent left and right at the moment. Ariel Helwani left the network and Kenny Mayne also left after not taking a pay cut. So, it seems like the network is more than okay with letting huge names walk.
That’s not a great sign for Taylor securing a mega-deal.
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We’ll see what happens, but ESPN would have to be insane to give her the kind of money Stephen A. Smith earns.