• Loading stock data...
Monday, September 15, 2025
One Day till Tuned In! Get a Last Second Ticket!

Dan Orlovsky’s ESPN Deal Expiring As He Explores NFL Options

ESPN wants to sign Dan Orlovsky to a contract extension. But the former QB also has “options,” notes a source familiar with his situation.

Dan Orlovsky and Ryan Clark
Brooke Sutton / ESPN Images

The 41-year-old NFL analyst’s current three-year deal expires this summer, sources tell Front Office Sports. ESPN wants to sign him to a contract extension. But whether Orlovsky re-ups is still up in the air.

ESPN management loves the work ethic of the former quarterback. He’s a mainstay on the network’s NFL shoulder programming as well as studio shows like Stephen A. Smith’s First Take and Mike Greenberg’s Get Up. Orlovsky is also a homegrown talent, much like Kirk Herbstreit and Ryan Clark. He’s the kind of hardworking, team-first player that ESPN likes to retain. Following a contract impasse and some public negotiating, Clark signed a contract extension last February.

On the other hand, Orlovsky also has “options,” notes a source familiar with his situation. Rumors have been swirling that the 12-year NFL veteran will leave TV for a coaching position this offseason. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter recently addressed the rumors on The Pat McAfee Show.

“Dan’s been talking to some teams and seeing if there’s something that interests him and is worthwhile for him,” Schefter told McAfee

Schefter added: “I think Dan aspires to be a head coach in time. And that’s what he’d like to do. And so he’s been talking to people to see if there’s a spot that would work for him. It’s not automatic. He does a great job on TV. Obviously he could stay in TV and do that for the rest of his career if that’s what he wanted. But I think at his core, I think he misses being part of a football team.”

Rival Fox Sports was also rumored to be trying to poach Orlovsky several years ago, according to sources. I could see Fox slotting in Orlovsky as a game analyst behind Tom Brady and Greg Olsen, or giving him a chair on one of its two NFL pregame shows. An elaborate tribute to Jimmy Johnson during Fox’s Super Bowl LIX pregame show fueled speculation the 81-year-old former Cowboys coach is poised to step down from top-rated Fox NFL Sunday, though the network denies that is the case.

During Monday’s episode of First Take, Orlovsky raised eyebrows by thanking Smith, Clark, Shannon Sharpe, and Molly Qerim for a great season together.

“Never know what the future holds,” he told them. When an X/Twitter user asked whether his comments amounted to a goodbye speech, Orlovsky was evasive. “Lotta decision to be made. See what happens. I’m grateful for it all,” he tweeted back.

Orlovsky’s future with ESPN is undecided. My sources tell me his First Take comments were referencing a long family vacation he plans to take before returning for ESPN’s coverage of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine and Draft. 

Orlovsky fans hope he signs a new deal. But you never know. The former QB turned analyst could be one of those football talents like Jon Gruden, Bill Parcells, and Urban Meyer who shuttle back and forth between the media and football. ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday left for an interim head coaching job with the Colts in 2022—only to return to the network in 2023. Other ESPN NFL analysts such as Rex Ryan and Louis Riddick are also candidates for NFL jobs this offseason, sources say. 

ESPN declined to comment for this story.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Injured Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on from the bench during the first half of a basketball game against the Chicago Sky at United Center.

WNBA Ratings Rise 3% in 2025 Despite Clark’s Absence

Caitlin Clark played in just 13 of 44 regular-season games.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) breaks up a pass intended for Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown (85) on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won the game, 27-18.

Amazon Shatters Previous Ratings High for 1st NFL Game

“TNF” viewership surges 35% compared to the 2024 season average.
Las Vegas Aces

WNBA Playoffs Face ESPN Fall Crunch For Final Time

The games will be spread across three networks next year.

Trump Push to End Quarterly Earnings Has Major Sports Ramifications

U.S. President Trump proposes moving to semi-annual reporting for public companies.

Featured Today

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.

US Open Set Attendance Record, Men’s Final Ratings Surged 82%

Attendance and television viewership of the tennis major again reach historic levels.
exclusive
September 13, 2025

Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Rob Dauster to Lead On3’s College Hoops..

Goodman previously worked for ESPN, CBS Sports, and Stadium.
September 15, 2025

Ken Rosenthal: I Apologized to Photog After Knocking Him Over

Rosenthal backpedaled into the photographer to avoid a Gatorade shower.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
September 13, 2025

YouTube’s Revised NFL Game Rating Still Has Fox, ESPN Execs Upset 

Adjusted viewership metrics from the streamer reignited debate about the game.
Mark Sanchez
September 12, 2025

Mark Sanchez On Fox ‘Rearview’ Show, Caleb Williams’s Slow Start

Sanchez spoke to FOS about his new Fox digital show.
opinion
September 12, 2025

19 Rising Stars in Sports Media

Who are sports media’s rising stars? Here’s an inside look.
September 11, 2025

Paramount-WBD Merger Would Create Sports Superpower

The companies’ combined sports offerings would rival ESPN.