With the college football and NFL seasons fast approaching, it sounds like ESPN is making some tweaks to its analyst roster. As per Andrew Marchand of The New York Post, the network has agreed to terms with former UConn and NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky for a college football-focused role, and they’re also reportedly in discussions with NFL Network Good Morning Football co-host Kay Adams:
Sources say that former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky has agreed to be a football analyst with ESPN. The job, according to one source, would be more college football studio, but with some NFL as well. Orlovsky played his college ball near Bristol, at UConn. He was on four NFL teams during his 10-year career, spending the most time with the Lions. CBS, among others, also talked with Orlovsky about a job.
…The NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” has won some acclaim, but it may lose one of its hosts. Sources say Kay Adams is in talks with ESPN about moving to its network. Adams hosts “Good Morning Football” with Nate Burleson, Peter Schrager and Kyle Brandt. One source said Adams would be brought to ESPN to work on fantasy football broadcasts. However, she could be an interesting addition in Bristol with ESPN’s new morning show “Get Up!” potentially undergoing changes at some point down the road.
ESPN’s seen significant turnover on both the college football and NFL fronts in recent years, with big changes coming from the 2016 revamping of NFL Countdown, the 2017 layoffs and more. They’ve brought in some different faces, including Chip Kelly and Tommy Tuberville last year and John Fox this year (although Fox is reportedly considering a potential return to coaching), and it looks like Orlovsky will be the latest new face on the college football side.
Orlovsky announced his retirement from the NFL last October after being cut by the Rams, ending a NFL career that began in 2005. After his retirement, he started posting NFL video breakdowns and play analysis on Twitter, winning plenty of fans there, and he attended the NFL’s annual broadcast boot camp this April. In May, he was one of several former NFL players turned aspiring media personalities who spoke to SI’s Jonathan Jones about that transition, and had quite the line about his wardrobe:
Orlovsky made a nice sum in his playing career, but “my kids eat a lot of food” and he’d like his career in broadcasting to start turning a profit. He did TV in Philadelphia for free. His national TV hits have been free, too. Though he’s been approached about starting his own website and monetizing what he does on Twitter, he has higher aspirations and believes he’ll start seeing the fruits of his labor soon.
For now, he looks at his wardrobe and realizes it’s an awful lot of athletic gear; he’s going to have to upgrade his wardrobe in the near future.
“Now that I’m going on television more I’ve had to grab a couple more sportcoats and sweaters,” Orlovsky says. “I looked at my wife and said, when someone writes me a check, I’ll get more. But until someone offers me a contract, I’m not going to go all out with these clothes.”
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Adams could be a valuable piece for ESPN, too, if they’re able to bring her in. Beyond the raves she’s won co-hosting Good Morning Football since its 2016 launch, she has a strong fantasy football background from jobs like hosting DirecTV’s “Fantasy Zone,” NBC Sports Network’s “Fantasy Football Live” and a Rotoworld/NBC Sports Radio fantasy show. And on GMFB, she’s proven able to both break down serious stories and go with full-on zaniness, like their famous nine-minute Star Wars segment.; that versatility could be useful in a whole lot of roles at ESPN.
We’ll see if the Adams move happens, and if ESPN has other additions in the coming days. For now, it looks like it’s Orlovsky heading to Bristol. And maybe he can now go all-out with those clothes.
