Stephen A. Smith teases he could leave ESPN

Media sensation Stephen A. Smith has teased he could leave ESPN a couple of years down the road. 

According to the Barrett Sports Media website, Dan Le Batard recently welcomed Smith to his "South Beach Sessions" podcast and mentioned that the "First Take" host indicated in his latest book, "Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes," that he might be "bored" with the debate-show format. 

"It’s not because of 'First Take,'" Smith responded. "It’s because of the other things I want to do, and I don’t know if I can do it working for ESPN." 

Along with his ESPN duties, Smith has appeared on editions of "General Hospital" and made it known on numerous occasions he is interested in one day hosting a late-night talk show and maybe even serving as Jimmy Kimmel's successor depending on when Kimmel calls time on that aspect of his career. 

While suggesting that Smith could one day reunite with Skip Bayless of Fox Sports, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports pointed out in January that Smith "could be a free agent in 2025." 

Interestingly, Smith told Le Batard that he could continue making "First Take" appearances "for years to come" but only if "it doesn’t limit me from doing other things that I want to do." 

Smith added: "If it’s gonna limit me, then in two years I’m gonna have decisions to make."

Smith also hosts his own podcast and is responsible for the Mr. SAS Productions production company.

"There’s also late-night television that I want to do," Smith admitted to Le Batard. "There’s a lot of things that I want to do that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with ESPN. Well, how receptive are they going to be to that? I don’t know the answer to that question." 

If nothing else, it does sound like Smith won't have the necessary availability to work alongside Bayless on a full-time basis anytime soon.