Stephen A. Smith’s new five-year contract will make him ESPN’s highest-paid sportscaster with an annual salary that will approach $8 million per year, according to sources.

This will move Smith past Mike Greenberg’s $6.5 million, which was ESPN’s previous known highest salary. Greenberg is the host of “Get Up!”

When The Post first reported negotiations between Smith and ESPN in April, some in the industry felt Smith might be able to negotiate a $10 million annual salary.

Smith got nearly $8 million, but he received some money upfront, making it more worth his while to re-up with a year left on his current deal.

Smith will continue to be front and center on ESPN’s air with his daily morning show “First Take,” as well as on “SportsCenter” and the network’s NBA coverage. Though the finer points of the contract are not fully completed, Smith has already started hosting Wednesday’s “SportsCenter” leading into ESPN’s NBA schedule that night.

The Post previously reported Smith will give up his national ESPN Radio show next year.

ESPN wants to try to find a fit for Smith on its direct-to-consumer subscription service, ESPN+, and for him to continue to be active through his and their social media channels.

Now, well into his second act with ESPN, Smith has more of a routine. Though he is somewhat polarizing, one thing that can’t be denied is that he works hard. He is omnipresent on ESPN. He still will be under the terms of the new deal, but ESPN plans to be a bit more strategic in Smith’s usage with appointment viewing for “SportsCenter.”

Smith’s contract could be the high point for ESPN broadcasters for a while, though ESPN could make a run at free-agent-to-be NFL game analyst Tony Romo.

ESPN is expected to have interest in Romo for “Monday Night Football,” and Romo could try to eclipse John Madden’s record for an NFL analyst of $8 million. Before Jon Gruden left ESPN for the Raiders, he reportedly made $6.5 million to do Monday nights. Romo’s contract talks will accelerate after the NFL season.

Champion-ship Caliber Call: ESPN got it right pairing Jon Champion with Taylor Twellman on MLS. It is one of the best, if not the best, game broadcast teams on the network.

Champion is in his first full year on MLS after leaving England, where he was one of the top play-by-players in the country, calling Premier League and Championship (second division) games as well as traveling around Europe to do Champions League games.

He was broadcasting 200 games per season, driving 60,000 miles around England. Now, he is happily hopping on flights and doing 38 games.

“It’s been refreshing,” said Champion, 54. “It is nice to be a part of something that is clearly growing. I like the enthusiasm for the sport.”

One of the aspects that is different is how top sportscasters are treated. In the UK, as rights fees have increased over the past three decades, the British broadcasters have cut back their budgets for how they treat their announcers.

“The amount of money for the production side of things and looking after the so-called talent have become less and less, so too are the contracts that are offered to talents, so you find you have to work a lot harder in the UK to earn what you were earning 10, 20 years ago,” Champion said.

On Sunday, MLS Cup returns to ABC for the first time since 2008. A sellout crowd of 69,000 is expected in Seattle to watch the Sounders face Toronto FC.

Though the announcers in the booth may not increase ratings, having top quality can make an event feel bigger. Soccer has grown, but it is still emerging on TV. Having Champion and Twellman helps make it feel bigger.

Around the Dial: CBS Sports Radio’s Brandon Tierney will be the play-by-play/host on Discovery’s “Man vs. Bear.” The series will have humans competing with bears in skills challenges, such as pushing large barrels. The whole concept may not be so different from Tierney’s current habitat, sports talk radio.

Tierney — who co-hosts CBS Sports Radio’s afternoon drive show with Tiki Barber and is on CBS Sports Network’s “The Other Pregame Show” — will be joined by Casey Anderson, a grizzly expert. … If ESPN New York goes local, Chris Carlin would be a candidate as a host. Another name that could potentially be in the mix is Bob Wischusen, who does the Jets on 98.7 FM and also has done a lot of radio, including recently filling in for Stephen A. Smith. With Smith leaving radio, the ESPN bosses in Bristol will consider allowing ESPN New York to go local from 1-3 p.m. leading into Michael Kay’s show. Nothing is decided yet.