Stephen A. Smith Says He Wants Shannon Sharpe to Join ESPN's First Take amid Rumors

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said Friday that he wants Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end and Denver Broncos legend Shannon Sharpe to join him on First Take.

Smith made the declaration on Twitter, as well as on his Stephen A. Smith Show podcast:

At the start of the podcast, Smith said the "honchos" at ESPN are in conversations with Sharpe, although he doesn't yet know for sure if ESPN plans on hiring him:

"We are definitely talking to Shannon Sharpe," Smith said. "The conversations are official, the reports have not been misnomers or misreports or anything like that. We are talking to him and I'm hopeful, very hopeful, very confident that ultimately we will be announcing sooner than later that he will be on First Take."

Smith went on to say that people above him in the pecking order will ultimately decide whether to hire Sharpe, but he reiterated, "I want Shannon Sharpe on First Take, period."

The 55-year-old Sharpe became the co-host of the FS1 sports debate show Undisputed in 2016, alongside Smith's former First Take partner Skip Bayless. Sharpe left the show suddenly in June, leading to speculation about his future.

Since Bayless' ESPN departure in 2016, Smith has usually debated a rotating panel of guests on First Take, and he seemingly wants to continue to do so regardless of Sharpe's status.

Smith said Friday that he wants former NFL players and current ESPN analysts Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears and Dan Orlovsky to continue to be part of the show, as well as Kimberley A. Martin and Mina Kimes.

As for Undisputed, Fox has yet to make an official decision for who will replace Sharpe across from Bayless.

To take some time to find a replacement, Bayless announced on July 5 that Undisputed is taking a hiatus before returning with new shows on Aug. 28.