Recently, ESPN has gained a reputation for letting good talent slip through the cracks. Sometimes by choice, occasionally due to cost-cutting, and too often because it didn’t recognize its value until it was gone.
In the case of Dan Orlovsky, the company demonstrated some awareness and secured someone who actually matters to its football coverage.
According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Orlovsky and ESPN have agreed to terms on a new deal. It hasn’t been signed yet, but it’s happening. He’ll stay on NFL Live, the Monday Night Football B-team, and continue to do his usual daily studio appearances, meaning he remains one of the few constants on a network that’s been increasingly fluid with on-air talent.
It’s a smart move, and not just because Orlovsky is likable or occasionally goes viral for his weird food takes. He’s valuable because he fills a role that ESPN doesn’t have enough of: a modern analyst who can break down the game without sounding like a caricature of themselves.
He watches tape. He explains offensive and defensive concepts in plain English. He makes viewers smarter without talking down to them. And, crucially, he cares. He gives a damn.
That last part shouldn’t be underrated. Orlovsky brings an earnestness to the job that cuts through ESPN’s often overly polished, brand-first, personality-second presentation. He’s not afraid to be wrong. He’s not trying to be Stephen A. Jr.; He just shows up and does the work.
That distinction — someone who actually does the job well — matters a lot more than ESPN seems to realize. The network has long been enamored with talent that fits a particular demo or fits neatly into a marketable persona, often at the expense of people who elevate the product. Too many decisions feel rooted in optics, not output.
So when Orlovsky signed off after the Super Bowl with a cryptic “you never know what the future holds,” it felt like a goodbye, you know, the kind ESPN has allowed to happen far too often. This time, though, the network didn’t let it go that far. They kept him.
And they kept NFL Live intact as well.
That matters because Orlovsky isn’t just a piece of that show; he’s part of its identity. NFL Live has become one of the most innovative, most watchable football programs on television, not because it chases drama or leans into conflict, but because it trusts its analysts to actually analyze.
The chemistry is real. The arguments are grounded in tape, not ego. That dynamic — smart, collaborative, and rooted in actual football knowledge — is hard to find and even harder to replicate. Which is why it’s no surprise another network came calling for Orlovsky.
Orlovsky had a chance to bolt. CBS made a serious run at him, eyeing him as a replacement for Gary Danielson on Big Ten games. But rather than jump at the offer, he waited to see what ESPN would put on the table. That gave them a chance to do the right thing. And this time, it did.
CBS pivoted to Charles Davis on the college side and brought JJ Watt into the NFL booth alongside Ian Eagle. That left Orlovsky where he belongs, right in the thick of ESPN’s football core.
Sports networks love to treat analysts like interchangeable parts. ESPN’s been guilty of that more than a few times. But holding onto Orlovsky showed some actual awareness. He’s not perfect. He’s weird. He says things that get clipped and clowned, and he leans a little too hard into his food takes. But he knows what he’s doing, and he makes the product better.
Keeping Orlovsky might not have been a headline-grabbing move, but it was the right one.