Less than a month after signing off while alluding to his uncertain future with the network, Dan Orlovsky was back on ESPN on Monday morning.
The ESPN NFL analyst performed multiple hits on the early morning SportsCenter, in addition to being in studio for all two hours of Get Up. His return to ESPN airwaves comes three weeks after he signed off from First Take on the day after the Super Bowl, stating that he wasn’t sure when he’d be returning to the Worldwide Leader with his contract reportedly set to expire this offseason.
“You guys know this is the end of the season for me, certainly for [Ryan Clark] as well. I’m taking a break, won’t be on TV for a long time,” Orlovsky said on Feb. 10. “I just want to say to thank you to you guys, Stephen A., Molly [Qerim], Shannon [Sharpe] for a great season. I love you all. You never know what the future holds, but I’m taking a break. I’m sure R.C. is as well. So I just want to say thank you. I appreciate you guys so much.”
While many took the former NFL quarterback’s comments to mean that he wouldn’t be back on the air until he signed a new deal, that apparently wasn’t the case. Rather, Orlovsky merely took an extended post-Super Bowl vacation — as many in sports media do — before returning to cover the heart of the NFL offseason.
Based on Orlvosky’s comments during Get Up on Monday, it sounds as if he’ll be a staple of ESPN’s programming throughout the network’s coverage of NFL free agency, which begins next week, as well as the NFL Draft. At this point, it’s unclear when his current contract with the Worldwide Leader is set to end, other than presumably between the draft and the start of the 2025 season.
As for his future, one would imagine that ESPN will do everything it can to retain one of its marquee NFL talents — just as it did last week when it re-signed his NFL Live colleague, Laura Rutledge, to a new multi-year contract. But should Orlovsky make it to the open market, he’ll assuredly have plenty of suitors, both in the form of other networks and perhaps even football teams.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.