‘Time will tell’ if ESPN loves Dan Orlovsky like Adam Schefter claims they do

Even though you’ve seen Dan Orlovsky on ESPN’s airwaves recently, his contract is still very much in flux.

While he hinted at this being the end of the road for his tenure at the Worldwide Leader, it appears he was laying it on a little thick. Orlovsky took a vacation to Hawaii — one that Stephen A. Smith needled him about — and has since returned to ESPN’s programming.

However, this doesn’t mean his contract is fully resolved. As we’ve noted here at Awful Announcing, ESPN should do everything it can to keep the former Detroit Lions quarterback in the fold.

But making that happen? That’s a whole different story.

With his contract still in limbo, Orlovsky was back again on ESPN’s programming just in time for the start of NFL free agency on Monday. And this time around, instead of feeling Smith’s wrath for flying his family coach, he was on the receiving end of an Adam Schefter quip — and love bomb of some sort?

We’ve often said that you should find someone who loves you like Orlovsky loves Matthew Stafford. It appears that Sam Darnold found that with the Seattle Seahawks. And according to Schefter, the infamous perpetrator of running out of the back of his own end zone has found that at ESPN.

“At this point in his career, [Darnold] wants to be loved,” Schefter said. “During Dan Orlovsky’s career, he just wanted somebody to love him the whole time. The only place that ever loved him that way was ESPN. We love Dan!”

“Time will tell,” Orlovsky quipped.

Indeed.

Soon enough, we’ll find out how much ESPN values Orlovsky.

Schefter might not be pulling the strings in these negotiations, but he’s right about one thing: Orlovsky has always found love at ESPN. Whether that love turns into a long-term commitment remains to be seen. Ultimately, ESPN’s move — or lack of one — could decide whether Orlovsky stays or takes his talents elsewhere.