Sports media star Stephen A. Smith is vying for a new multi-year contract at ESPN with his current deal expiring next summer, according to Puck’s John Ourand. ESPN has reportedly offered Smith a five-year deal worth $18 million per year, which would make the host of First Take one of the highest-paid talents at the network.

But that might not be enough to get the deal done. Smith reportedly wants a deal worth $25 million per year, per Ourand—that’s double Smith’s current reported annual payday, which includes an $8 million base salary and another $4 million from a separate production contract.

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“There’s plenty of people who talk about the same topics that I talk about, but they don’t have the same ratings,” Smith said back in March during Sportico’s Sports Track at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

Smith sat down with Sportico co-founder and editor-in-chief Scott Soshnick at SXSW. Here’s what else he had to say:

Smith, one of the most well-known personalities on sports TV, first started working at ESPN in 2003 before leaving five years later and returning in 2011 where he has been since. The 56-year-old currently stars as the executive producer on First Take and is an analyst on NBA Countdown.

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