FS1 has long been the favorite to retain Skip Bayless and it appears the two sides are nearing a contract extension.
According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, Bayless is likely to receive “a slight raise” on his current $6 million per year salary. The four-year $24 million deal Bayless signed in 2016 is set to expire this month. Waiting until the last minute to resign a top talent is somewhat unusual, but COVID-19 may have played a role in the delay. Previously, there was some thought that Bayless might struggle to receive a contract offer more or equal to his current salary as sports media companies were ravaged by the pandemic.
News of the pending extension comes just a couple weeks after Bayless angered many people by saying he doesn’t have sympathy for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his dealings with depression.
“We do not agree with Skip Bayless’ opinion on Undisputed this morning,” FS1 said in a statement in response to Bayless’ opinion of Prescott’s struggle with mental health. “We have addressed the significance of this matter with Skip and how his insensitive comments were received by people internally at FOX Sports and our audience.”
But despite Bayless causing outrage, and even as the network deals with financial ramifications of COVID-19, it appears FS1 still values the polarizing host enough to give him a new and rewarding contract.
In the first episode immediately following Bayless’ comments, his FS1 show Undisputed with Shannon Sharpe saw viewership spike from 175,000 to over 300,000 according to Ryan Glasspiegel of Outkick. In comparison, Bayless’ former show First Take, featuring Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman on ESPN averages more than 400,000 viewers.
According to McCarthy, the comments on mental health by Bayless caused a “bump” in his contract negotiations with FOX. Bayless received no publicly known repercussions by the network for his infamous opinion and he provided a clarification of the statement, but not an apology. Despite the “bump” the 68-year old Bayless doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.