Shannon Sharpe speaks directly to the First Take camera live in moving comments for Stephen A. Smith after signing with ESPN

SHANNON Sharpe has agreed a new contract with ESPN.

After moving from Undisputed to First Take, Shannon Sharpe signed a long-term contract with ESPN.

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Sharpe initially signed two short-term deals that saw him on First Take every Monday and Tuesday during the football and basketball seasons.

Now he has agreed to a new deal, which was first reported last month by The Athletic.

The Athletic reported it was a four-year deal, and Sharpe himself confirmed the deal live on First Take.

Sharpe put together a list of thanks that included executives like Burke Magnus, Jimmy Pitaro and Bob Iger.

Even Molly Qerim got a message from Sharpe during his emotional speech.

However, no one received more love from Sharpe than Stephen A. Smith.

“Stephen A, none of this is possible without you,” Sharpe said.

“So I would be remiss if I didn’t say thank you and I can’t thank you enough.

“If I had a thousand languages, I couldn’t thank you enough for what you did for me when I was at my worst and didn’t know where I was going.

“You called me and said, ‘Bro, everything’s going to be okay, I’m with you.'”

Fans loved Sharpe’s heartfelt thanks and shared their congratulations for him on social media.

“That was amazing to hear, no lie. We give Stephen some well-deserved sadness, but he did some good things and it’s good to see Unk give him credit,” said one fan.

“Always show gratitude to those who have helped you in life. It’s great to see,” said another fan.

“They are making money!!!” a third fan said.

“The Americas love Shannon Sharpe! The man has genuine vision and personality!” a fourth fan said.

While Sharpe is thriving at ESPN, Undisputed faltered without him.

Skip Bayless has struggled to see his audience grow with his new cast and the show is completely overshadowed by First Take.

ESPN will continue to utilize Sharpe across the network under his new contract, having him make appearances on programs other than First Take.

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