Arizona Cardinals name A.Q. Shipley as new radio analyst

The Arizona Cardinals have found a new radio analyst to replace the legendary Ron Wolfley.

Following last season, Wolfley decided to hang it up after 20 years as the Cardinals radio analyst, where he was accompanied by ESPN play-by-play star Dave Pasch every step of the way. Now, Pasch knows who his new partner will be.

Former Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley has been named as Wolfley’s replacement, according to an announcement made by the team on Monday.

Cardinals named their former center A.Q. Shipley as the team’s new radio analyst.

Shipley currently serves as a regular contributor on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2025

Since 2022, Shipley has become a regular contributor on The Pat McAfee Show, appearing in a weekly segment called “In the Trenches.”

“I think there’s a whole different area of expertise to explaining the game and that starts and finishes really with the offensive line,” Shipley said in a statement. “When I played, I was two inches too short, my arms were two inches too short. How did I stay in the league all that time? I took it very seriously, studied my tail off and felt that I was tougher and worked harder than most.

“I’ll take the same aspect into this. I think it’s really cool to talk about why this simple inside zone works to the left but the defense ran a twist stunt and wrapped the Will linebacker. I’m speaking a foreign language to some, but if I can do that in a way where my Mom can understand it then I know everybody can understand it.”

Earlier this year, when Pasch was asked what he wanted in a new radio partner, the veteran play-by-play man said, “It’s someone that knows the game, can communicate the game, but can communicate in a way that’s understandable to the audience.

“I always think it helps if it’s somebody that has relationships with people in the league and knows players and coaches and has played against them and has inside information, even if it’s information you don’t use, but it just shapes how you present something on the air.

“I think it’s somebody that has a personality – and that may come in time – and hopefully it’s somebody who’s done games before, even if it’s not a high number of games, but has some experience. And if not, at least has some experience on the air.”

Shipley certainly checks most of those boxes, though he’s never called a traditional broadcast. The former Cardinal also had stops in Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay during his career, so he should have plenty of contacts in the league. And, based on his segments with McAfee, Shipley clearly keeps up with current trends in the game.

“When you look at whether it’s Wolf or (Bill) Walton or the NBA or college football analysts on ESPN, there is one common thing with the best,” Pasch said in Monday’s announcement. “They all have different strengths, different personalities, but the biggest common denominator is passion for the game. A.Q. has that.”

“I love being able to talk football,” Shipley said. “It’s basically doing exactly what I like to do in terms of a coaching aspect except now it’s in front of people from the media angle.”