Report: Skip Bayless Signs 4-Year, $32M Fox Sports Contract amid ESPN Interest

ESPN apparently tried to get the band back together, but Skip Bayless is reportedly staying with Fox Sports.

According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, "ESPN made a full-court press to reunite Skip Bayless with Stephen A. Smith" with plans of giving the former First Take partners a daily ESPN+ show and segments on other programming across the network. 

However, Marchand reported Fox Sports kept Bayless aboard with a four-year, $32 million contract.

Bayless will continue in his role on FS1's Undisputed and could be featured on a second daily show in the afternoons as well.

The report noted Smith "was a driving force" in ESPN's efforts to bring back Bayless and pointed to their friendship that has continued even though they no longer work together. Marchand cited sources who said ESPN's offer to Bayless was for four years and between $26.5 million and $31 million.

ESPN also explored an arrangement in which Bayless would stay with Fox Sports but still host an ESPN+ show with Smith, though they could not come to terms on such a setup.

The $8 million Bayless will make annually puts him above some notable NBA players:

The sports-media veteran has written for a number of newspapers, including the Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News and Chicago Tribune. He is widely known as a provocateur, with controversial opinions and no hesitation when it comes to criticizing athletes.