Skip Bayless (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Paley Center for Media)
In a stunning development, it was reported on Monday that longtime sports personality Skip Bayless is leaving FS1 at the end of the summer.
Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post reported that Skip Bayless is leaving the network, with his final show on FS1’s “Undisputed” taking place sometime this summer. Bayless has been the host of “Undisputed” for eight years.
News of Bayless’ looming departure is a stunner to many, given his name and notoriety in the sports journalism world. Unsurprisingly, his pending exit from FS1 is apparently business-related.
According to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, FOX is no longer willing to pay Skip Bayless a hefty $6-8 million salary given the decline in viewership on “Undisputed.” McCarthy noted that Bayless’ show is only netting around 50,000 viewers compared to what Stephen A. Smith is getting at ESPN.
Skip Bayless was reduced to 50K viewers some days while competing with his former partner Stephen A. Smith.
Fox is not going to pay him $6 to $8 million for that. https://t.co/exxREw6HK8
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) July 15, 2024
The 72-year-old Bayless and Smith co-hosted “First Take” with Smith from 2007 to 2016 before his departure for FS1. “First Take” has crushed FS1 in the ratings battle, and it’s gotten worse for “Undisputed” ever since Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe left Bayless and the network last summer.
Skip Bayless Won’t Be Out Of Work For Long
Love him or hate him, Skip Bayless has no problem bringing attention and publicity towards his employers. He has made a name for himself as someone who shamelessly offers hot takes that few people agree on.
You don’t have to like Bayless or the way he presents himself on television, but he accomplishes his main goal of getting people to follow his program. TV networks always want polarizing and controversial personalities, and a veteran like Bayless should definitely be sought-after by rival neworks.
NFC Team Shakes Up The Playoff Race By Landing Titans Superstar WR DeAndre Hopkins In Blockbuster Trade Proposal
DeAndre Hopkins (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
If the Tennessee Titans play their cards right, they’ll avoid making the same mistake the Arizona Cardinals did with star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins a year ago.
The Cardinals held onto DeAndre Hopkins for far too long and failed to trade him while his value was at its highest. After failing to receive a trade offer for their liking, Arizona released him in the 2023 offseason and took on $22.6 million in dead money, as noted by ESPN‘s Josh Weinfuss.
Tennessee stunned the football world last year by signing “Nuk” to a two-year deal worth $26 million in the summer. Hopkins was one of the few positives on a disappointing Titans team last year, finishing with 75 receptions for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns.
But the Titans are rebuilding, and the 32-year-old Hopkins is unlikely to stay in Music City beyond 2024. The Titans’ best bet is to move the five-time Pro Bowler some time between now and the 2024 trade deadline, rather than lose Hopkins for nothing.
DeAndre Hopkins makes sense for just about any playoff hopeful, but the Derek Carr-led New Orleans Saints especially stand out as a logical landing spot for the veteran wideout.
