When news broke earlier this week that Skip Bayless was not expected to return to FSI with his final Undisputed show coming later this summer, there was a lot of speculation that he could return to ESPN and reunite with longtime partner Stephen A. Smith on First Take. But it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen.
Before Skip Bayless even officially leaves FS1 or Undisputed, ESPN has already made it clear that they have no interest in any sort of reunion with Skip Bayless in the future.
“We are set with the current First Take rotation, and wish Skip the best on his future endeavors,” an ESPN spokesman told Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.
Stephen A. Smith is currently seeking a new contract with ESPN and has reportedly already received an offer from the network worth $18 million a year. Bayless, meanwhile, will be looking for another network after ratings at FS1 have plummeted in recent years.
Clearly, the two former First Take co-hosts are now at completely different points in their respective careers and it does not sound like there are any plans for them to reunite at anytime in the future.
We’ll have to see what’s next for Bayless, but it won’t be ESPN.
