ESPN is going to hold a tryout period before settling on a new host for “First Take.”

Burke Magnus, the network’s president of content, told The Athletic on Thursday that there will be a 30-to-45-day period where several people will host the show that stars Stephen A. Smith in the wake of host Molly Qerim’s resignation, and that her eventual replacement may not be currently employed by ESPN.

“I don’t know if it’ll be someone in-house or not,” Magnus said. “The one thing that was unexpected was the timing of all this. [Qerim] put out a statement because there was a report on it, so it kind of got out of our respective controls once that happened. While we knew we were going to make a change — her deal ran through the end of the year — we were more focused on that timeline. So we’re going to take probably about 30 to 45 days to try a variety of in-house people because we can do that on the show. Then we’ll make a decision shortly after that.”

Qerim, who had hosted “First Take” since 2015 and was on Monday’s episode, announced on her Instagram Story that night that she was leaving the show after Sports Business Journal broke the news that she would be departing the network by the end of the year.

Stephen A. Smith (l.) and Molly Qerim (r.) Getty Images for Fanatics

Magnus told The Athletic that Qerim and the network were negotiating about roles beyond “First Take” and ESPN wanted her to stay.

Qerim noted at the beginning of her post that the news “came out earlier than I intended, and not in the way I hoped.”

Molly Qerim Getty Images for GQ

“After much reflection, I’ve decided it’s time to close this incredible chapter and step away from First Take,” Qerim said. “Hosting this show has been one of the greatest honors of my career. Every morning, I had the privilege of sharing the desk with some of the most brilliant, passionate, and entertaining voices in sports — and with all of you, the best fans in the world.

“I’m so grateful for what this journey has given me: lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories, and the chance to be part of something truly special.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for welcoming me into your homes.”

Magnus said Qerim was going to come off of “First Take” no matter what, but the two sides “just weren’t totally aligned” on what her role would be.

Burke Magnus Variety via Getty Images

“Molly Qerim is a wonderful person and an unbelievable teammate and colleague,” Magnus told The Athletic. “There was a couple dimensions to this. One, is obviously we were in a renewal conversation. Two, is 10 years to do something like that is a long time. I’m not going to speak for her, but I think there was a feeling that she wants to do other things, and successfully being on a top show like that for a decade qualifies as maybe I can turn the page and do something else. We tried to have her do other things and to redo that agreement. It honestly became less about that, and more about, in my opinion, her wanting to do other and explore other things. It ended up being easier for her to make a clean break entirely.”

Smith stepped in to host on Tuesday and will host through the end of the week.