Highest-paid sports commentators, broadcasters & more

Mike Greenberg has the second-highest publicly known salary among ESPN talent behind Stephen A. Smith. The former "Mike and Mike" co-host departed his popular radio show with Mike Golic to become the host of ESPN's morning show, "Get Up," where it was reported in 2018 that he would earn $6.5 million a year.

After a Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys, Troy Aikman has been able to carve himself a nice post-NFL career as FOX's lead color commentator in the booth alongside Joe Buck.

Aikman joined FOX in 2001 and was paired with Buck in 2002 as the two have gone on to call six Super Bowls together. Despite the occasional rumor that Aikman would leave the booth to join the Cowboys' front office, he's doing quite well for himself as reports from as recently as 2020 state Aikman is making $7.5 million a year at FOX.

Skip Bayless is a polarizing, provocateur in the sports world and it has paid off handsomely for him. Bayless, the co-host of FS1’s “Undisputed” with Shannon Sharpe, signed a four-year, $32 million contract with FOX in March 2021, according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

Fox outbid ESPN, which was trying to reunite Skip with his former partner, Stephen A. Smith. The 69-year-old Bayless continues to draw headlines and viral clips on “Undisputed,” which has been on the air for nearly five years.

Mike Tirico's role with NBC continues to grow so it only makes sense that his salary would as well. The 54-year-old became NBC's primetime Olympics host in 2017 and Football Night in America host a year-and-a-half later. Now, it seems as if Tirico is in place to succeed Al Michaels as the Sunday Night Football play-by-play voice.

Celebrity Net Worth lists Tirico's salary at $3 million per year, but sports media reporter Andrew Marchand, in a story on Jim Nantz's new salary in March 2021, wrote that Tirico was in the "10 million range." Marchand is as plugged into the sports media landscape as anybody, so we will defer to his reporting on ranking Tirico on this list.

Joe Buck gets a lot of hate from many fans, but the FOX play-by-play announcer is laughing all the way to the bank. The 51-year-old inked a contract extension with FOX in 2018 to remain its lead voice for the World Series, NFL and even golf with the U.S. Open broadcast.

Celebrity Net Worth estimates Buck's salary at $6 million, but Marchand mentioned in the same article about Tirico and Jim Nantz that Buck's salary is in the "$10 million range," so again, we'll go with his reporting here.

Jim Nantz was previously reported to have a $6.5 million contract, but he recently agreed to a new deal with CBS in the spring of 2021, which reportedly has him as high as $10.5 million, according to Marchand.

The exact figure has not been publicly disclosed, but the 61-year-old was given a “substantial raise.” Nantz has been synonymous with big events on CBS, serving as the longtime voice of the Masters, an event he reportedly hopes to call until he is 75. He also is the lead NFL voice alongside Tony Romo in the booth and does the Final Four and championship games of the NCAA Tournament.

Stephen A. Smith may very well be the face of ESPN, at least he is certainly paid like it. The polarizing, bombastic and opinionated TV personality has been the host of ESPN's premiere debate show, "First Take" since 2012 and has held various other roles throughout the company over the years, including his own show, "Stephen A's World" on ESPN+.

His brash style of debate has allowed Smith to thrive in the social media era, often going viral his over-the-top reactions and strong-held opinions across sports. He's survived backlash from controversial comments, from Ray Rice to Shohei Ohtani. Stephen A. is a one-man freight train of takes and nothing seems to stand in his way.

It is hard to find an ex-athlete who has thrived in a post-media career the way Michael Strahan has. The New York Giants legend's affable personality has landed him co-host of "Good Morning America," but he still has time for sports in the fall where he serves as a studio analyst for FOX during the NFL season.

Between his two jobs and various endorsements, Strahan reportedly makes $17 million per year, placing him just shy of the top spot on this list.

Tony Romo instantly became a media darling following his retirement from the NFL, joining Jim Nantz as the color commentator for CBS's lead booth. Romo has been so impressive, that in February 2020 CBS made him the highest-paid TV analyst in history, with a whopping 10-year, $180 million contract, which includes his perks.

Jim Rome has always been a controversial figure ever since his days on ESPN when he provoked Jim Everett to try and fight him and he’s been able to ride that style all the way to the bank.

In 2012, James Andrew Miller — author of the ESPN book “Those Guys Have All the Fun” — reported that Rome takes home a staggering $30 million a year from his nationally syndicated radio show, “The Jim Rome Show,” which airs on CBS Sports Radio.

In 2017, Rome signed a long-term contract to continue his show, although his salary was undisclosed. In 2019, Business Insider reported that Rome has the highest net worth and earns the most of all TV and radio sports commentators, although that was before Romo’s deal. Various sites continue to list his salary at $30 million.