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Dan Orlovsky Agrees To Extension At ESPN

July 8th, 2025 at 11:57am CST by Nikhil Mehta

July 8: ESPN officially announced Orlovksy’s new contract on Wednesday. He will continue to headline NFL Live and serve as an analyst for some Monday Night Football games, along with appearances on Get Up, First Take, The Pat McAfee Show, and SportsCenter. 

Orlovsky’s consistent presence on some of the network’s biggest shows will continue to raise his profile as he looks to eventually return to the NFL as a coach.

July 7: Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky has agreed to terms with ESPN on a contract extension, according to Ryan McCarthy and Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports.

Orlovsky was drafted by the Lions in 2005 and remained active in the NFL for a decade. He logged 26 appearances across seven seasons with four different teams and compiled a 2-10 record as a starter. His post-playing career has been far more successful; Orlovsky has been one of ESPN’s top football analysts since he joined the network in 2018.

His contract extension will keep Orlovsky in Bristol for the foreseeable future, but the 41-year-old could be looking to parlay his prominence as an analyst and commentator into a coaching gig. He said in January that he loves being on ESPN but admitted that he missed the feeling of being part of an NFL team.

“There is a desire and craving to have that,” said Orlovsky during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “If it’s the right place, right time, right people, it seems to be a really, really fun experience.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter later confirmed on McAfee’s podcast that Orlovsky had been in touch with teams regarding an offensive coaching position, though discussions have not proceeded past that point.

“I think Dan aspires to be a head coach in time. And that’s what he’d like to do,” said Schefter. “And so he’s been talking to people to see if there’s a spot that would work for him…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.”

As noted by McCarthy and Glasspiegel, multiple analysts with past experience in the NFL have returned to the league after stints at ESPN, including former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and former Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday.

With a contract extension all but signed, Orlovsky is positioned to continue to raise his profile at ESPN and attract more attention from NFL teams in the apparent hopes of earning a full-time coaching gig in the future.

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