Maria Taylor appears to be on her way out at ESPN.
According to a report from Front Office Sports, the rising star ESPN host is close to a deal with one of the network’s rivals.
“ESPN’s Maria Taylor is nearing a possible deal with rival NBC Sports, sources tell Front Office Sports,” the outlet reports.
Taylor, who does college football and NBA coverage for ESPN, is in the final days of her contract. She was reportedly seeking a major raise from ESPN, though it’s unclear if the Worldwide Leader is fully interested in giving her one. The latest reports suggested that Taylor is being offered $3 million/annually from ESPN.
According to Front Office Sports, Taylor would have a big role at NBC:
The rising star could become the new host of “Football Night in America” as Mike Tirico transitions into the play-by-play post long held by Al Michaels. With her experience on ESPN’s popular “College GameDay,” Taylor could work on NBC’s broadcasts of Notre Dame football. As an added lure, NBC could provide Taylor a global TV stage as an Olympic correspondent.
“The deal’s at the half-yard line. But that can still be a long way in contract negotiations,” said a source. Talks could still fall apart — or ESPN could raise its offer.
The sports media world has taken to social media to react to the latest developments.
Maria Taylor after leaves ESPN for NBC Sports pic.twitter.com/Sby8cA7zvo
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) July 15, 2021
If Maria Taylor leaves ESPN, she could potentially feature on NBC’s coverage of:
🏅 Olympics
🏈 Football Night in America
☘️ Notre Dame football
📺 ‘Today’ ShowAnd more. https://t.co/i349zRLVYa
— Felipe Cárdenas (@FelipeCar) July 15, 2021
Whatever happens for @MariaTaylor I fully support. This can be great look for her and NBC if this takes place. https://t.co/FUiRDTjtLM
— Joshua M. Hicks (@joshmhicksmedia) July 15, 2021
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for Taylor, but this could all end with her landing a big-time job at NBC.
Stay tuned for the latest developments.
The post Sports Media World Reacts To Maria Taylor Developments appeared first on The Spun.
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