Dan Orlovsky has his eyes on bigger and better things.
While he actively auditions for a top NFL analyst job on television, the allure of coaching in the league is strong for Orlovsky as well. After Orlovsky opened up to Pat McAfee last week that he would “obviously” take an interview if the NFL came calling, it sounds as if those calls are now coming in.
In an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, Orlovsky confirmed multiple NFL teams have contacted him this coaching cycle. While those conversations appear to be largely informal so far, Orlovsky acknowledged he is considering those jobs.
“The more I get away from being done playing, the greater the pull back to it,” Orlovsky told Patrick. “Just because of the competitive drive.”
Orlovsky explained that he walks the field with ESPN broadcast partners Louis Riddick and Chris Fowler pregame before they call NFL games throughout the season. And inevitably after their lap is complete, Riddick (a former NFL defensive back and executive) and Orlovsky will start to miss the energy of competition.
“Your juices just get going, and it’s all you know,” Orlovsky explained. “The pull to be a part of that, I don’t know if it will ever go away. But I can certainly say it gets stronger as the years go on.”
As a former journeyman quarterback, Orlovsky has been targeted in previous NFL hiring cycles. Orlovsky told McAfee previously he “came close” to accepting the offensive coordinator job in Carolina. And as far back as 2020, NFL teams reportedly were pursuing Orlovsky.
As his national profile grows on NFL Live and Monday Night Football, Orlovsky’s personality and smarts get even more attention. A jump to the NFL feels inevitable at this point.
[The Dan Patrick Show on YouTube]
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.