“I don’t think there’s anybody on the planet who can do what I do.” Dan Orlovsky didn’t hold back when talking about his career as an analyst. Classic Orlovsky. The guy walked off an NFL field and straight into ESPN’s studios like he never missed a step. Well, ask his colleague Laura Rutledge, and she’ll tell you that the guy only leveled up since then. “Not only has it been sustainable, I’ve seen it increase since that time,” she had said.

But hold on. For the past few weeks, there have been speculations that the former NFL quarterback is retiring from the broadcasting world. But nah, Orlovsky denied every false claim when he returned on television Monday morning on “Get Up.” After all, the 41-year-old former QB is one of the most loved analysts on ESPN—and Adam Schefter couldn’t agree more.

On Monday, while evaluating the QB market in free agency, Schefter confessed that during his NFL career, Orlovsky wanted someone to love him. “During Dan Orlovsky’s career, he just wanted someone to love him the whole time,” he stated. Well, no need to blow this out of proportion. The thing is, Schefter further stated that the only place that ever loved Orlovsky was ESPN.

“The only place that ever loved him that way was ESPN. We love Dan!” Schefter exclaimed. Let’s be real—Orlovsky hung around the NFL for over a decade, bounced between four teams in those 12 years, mostly rocking the Lions and Texans jersey, with quick pit stops at the Colts and Buccaneers. But let’s not kid ourselves—his career wasn’t exactly a highlight reel.

The guy was mostly a backup QB, with a starting record of 2–10 and a passer rating of 75.3. Out of his 12 seasons in the NFL, Orlovsky started only in a couple of seasons. No wonder Schefter believes that the former QB wanted someone to love him during his career. Fast forward to his post-retirement career, and we’ve got a different Dan Orlovsky.

After hanging up his cleats from pro-football back in 2017, Orlovsky joined ESPN a year later. There, he became a prominent analyst, contributing to shows like “First Take,” “Get Up,” and “NFL Live.” Safe to say that the guy earned respect for his deep analysis and insightful commentary.

Later in 2022, Orlovsky leveled up at ESPN, jumping into the “Monday Night Football” booth as part of the secondary commentary squad alongside Steve Levy and Louis Riddick. Uh-huh! The guy surely didn’t get an opportunity for leveling up as a starting QB, but after transitioning to broadcasting, Orlovsky definitely updated his career with ESPN.

However, when Schefter admitted that the only place that loved Orlovsky was ESPN, the former QB gave a cryptic response that left most people guessing about his retirement. “Time will tell,” he replied. Is he really hinting towards his retirement?

Dan Orlovsky and his future with ESPN

Let’s rewind to February this year. The Philadelphia Eagles just defeated the Kansas City Chiefs and snagged their second Lombardi. However, just a day later, Dan Orlovsky hinted that his career with ESPN was up in the air. During an episode of First Take the next day after the Super Bowl, Orlovsky declared that he’s “taking a break, won’t be on TV for a long time.”

“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,” he shocked everyone last month. “Never know what the future holds, but I’m taking a break and I’m sure RC is as well. Just wanted to say thank you. Appreciate you guys so much.” You see, Orlovsky signed a 3-year deal with ESPN back in 2022, which is reportedly set to expire before the start of 2025 NFL season.

But here’s the kicker: on Monday, the ESPN analyst took a U-turn from retirement and returned on First Take. Cherry on the cake? When a fan asked him if his retirement was already over, Orlovsky confessed that he was never retiring. “Was never retiring. Just taking my time away,” he replied.

So—Dan Orlovsky is back for now, there’s no doubt about that. However, considering his contract with ESPN is almost expired, the speculations arund his broadcasting career are not stopping anytime soon.