Report: Stephen A. Smith strikes massive new deal with ESPN

After months of negotiations, Stephen A. Smith is reportedly now the highest-paid on-air personality at ESPN. (Efren Landaos/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images)Stephen A. Smith has branded himself as one of the most recognizable personalities on ESPN, if not all of the sports media world.

Now, he’s going to be paid like it.

Smith and ESPN have reached an agreement after months of negotiations on a five-year deal worth nearly $8 million per year to keep him at the network, according to the New York Post. He is now set to be ESPN’s highest-paid on-air personality.

The 51-year-old has been with the network since 2005, making waves with his involvement on “First Take,” “The Stephen A. Smith…