Max Kellerman has been in one of First Take’s debate chairs for the last five years. How much longer he is there remains to be seen. Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reports that ESPN is considering taking him off the show.
ESPN doesn’t want to get out of the Max Kellerman business. Even if he exits First Take, Kellerman still has his ESPN Radio show and his boxing show on ESPN 2. There are no plans to end either of those shows.
Changes would be a strategic move to make the show more about Stephen A. Smith.
Last year it was rumored that Stephen A. Smith wanted to reunite with Skip Bayless, who left First Take for FS1 in 2016. That obviously won’t happen anytime soon with Bayless signing a new deal at FOX last month.
“It could be Stephen A. vs the World,” a source told McCarthy.
With the morning show on ESPN Radio in flux, it is possible that is where Kellerman ends up. While the show is still branded Keyshawn, JWill, and Zubin, it is well-known that Zubin Mehenti is unlikely to return. Kellerman and Keyshawn Johnson were partnered in morning drive on ESPN 710 Los Angeles. A reunion on the national stage would make some sense.
