ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith will be appearing on three episodes of “Monday Night Countdown” throughout the 2025 NFL regular season, Sports Media Watch has confirmed.
Smith stated during an interview following an appearance at the Front Office Sports Tuned In Summit that he would be on at least three editions of “Monday Night Football.” A source familiar with the situation told Sports Media Watch that Smith will be on the “Monday Night Countdown” show, which is hosted by Scott Van Pelt and features analysts Marcus Spears, Jason Kelce and Ryan Clark.
Specifically, Smith said that he will be on the airwaves this coming Monday in Week 3 (Lions-Ravens) and then in Week 9 (Cardinals-Cowboys) and Week 14 (Eagles-Chargers). During these episodes of “Monday Night Countdown,” Smith will be rotated in at parts of the show and participate in a couple of segments, according to the source.
“[T]hose are just the three that I know about,” Smith said. “Knowing them, ESPN, they’ll want more. They’re certainly going to want more of me on ‘NBA Countdown,’ and so, who knows? I’m doing ‘First Take,’ but it’s ESPN, so they know whatever they need me for — ‘SportsCenter,’ ‘NBA Countdown,’ ‘NFL Countdown,’ it doesn’t matter. Whatever’s going to help make the network successful — Jimmy Pitaro, Burke Magnus, Dave Roberts, Mike McQuade — they know me, and they know that I’ll do whatever they ask.”
Smith, who inked a contract extension with the network that Andrew Marchand of The Athletic has reported is a five-year deal worth $105 million, had previously expressed a desire to cover the National Football League. It should be noted that Smith has previously made cameo appearances on “Monday Night Countdown” and has talked about wanting to follow in the footsteps of Howard Cosell.
In addition to his responsibilities on “First Take” and “NBA Countdown,” Smith has been a regular cast member of “NBA Countdown” for the last four seasons and is now hosting a weekday sports talk radio show with SiriusXM. Smith also expressed a willingness to appear on “Inside the NBA” if requested.
“I got enough jobs, I got enough things that I’m doing and I’m doing my own thing, but if they ever need me to come down to Atlanta to be in studio with them, to go to the playoffs or the Finals with them or whatever it is that they need, I will be there for whatever they want me to be there for,” Smith said. “But it’s their show and it’s their call, I totally understand that and that’s what I insisted upon. I will never do it unless they ask me to.”
