Backup quarterbacks seem to have it all, especially in today’s NFL.
They receive a nice paycheck, rarely work, get to travel in luxury, and aren’t typically blamed for the failures of a franchise.
Of course, many of them are anonymous and only get noticed if the starter goes down.
Dan Orlovsky was a relative unknown who gained recognition after his retirement.
A veteran of four teams, Orlovsky started just 12 games in 12 seasons.
Former #Lions QB Dan Orlvosky would like to be OC in Detroit #OnePride pic.twitter.com/Dcyg6oQcvV
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) January 14, 2026
Detroit fans may remember him for starting seven contests during the Lions’ ignominious 0-16 season in 2008.
Indianapolis Colts fans also know Orlovsky for his five starts in 2011 when Peyton Manning missed the season due to a neck injury.
Following his retirement in 2017, Orlovsky became a household name when he joined ESPN as an analyst.
He has since become synonymous as one of the most polarizing analysts in television.
This is the story of Dan Orlovsky.
Preparing for His Future
Daniel John Orlovsky was born on August 18, 1983, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
He was in middle school when football became a passion and an obsession.
Orlovsky helped out with the Shelton High School football team and got a look at prep ball up close.
“That [1995] was my first year of Pop Warner and I was the ball boy walking the sidelines,” Orlovsky said. “I watched them win that state title and it became my dream. My goal was to win one for myself.”
When he was home alone, Orlovsky sought to improve his skills as a quarterback.
“When I was younger, I would have garbage cans set up all around the yard,” Orlovsky recalled. “And I would have like 20 balls and just fire them into the cans. I really had nothing else to do back then.”
When it was his turn to attend Shelton High, Orlovsky jumped into the deep end with both feet.
Shelton to retire Orlovsky's number: SHELTON — Dan Orlovsky's most vivid memory of high school football measure.. http://tinyurl.com/ca9dra
— Connecticut Post (@connpost) April 4, 2009
After mostly watching from the sidelines as a freshman, he won the starting QB job as a sophomore.
Leaving nothing to chance and wanting to be a leader for his team, Orlovsky did everything he could to prepare.
“He would take the game films home and come in the next day to talk to our defensive coaches,” Orlovsky’s high school coach, Joe Benanto, said. “He was a student of the game. You can’t teach that. If he doesn’t succeed, it’s not because he’s not prepared.”
All-American
Orlovsky’s hard work paid off quickly.
As a junior, he passed for 1,750 yards and 18 touchdowns while Shelton went 9-1, but the Gaels missed a state title.
Following the season, the Connecticut Post put Orlovsky on their all-star list.
Halfway through his senior year, the quarterback had Shelton undefeated and eyeing a state championship.
“We were expected to win at least one (state title) while I was here and we haven’t done it yet,” said Orlovsky. “There’s a lot of pressure being a three-year starter, preseason All-American and senior captain. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
It turns out the pressure didn’t faze him.
Shelton went undefeated as Orlovsky passed for almost 2,400 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Record-setting former #UConn QB Dan Orlovsky part of inaugural Shelton High School Hall of Fame class https://t.co/yrkzBvm9jt
— Jim Fuller (@Jim_Fuller1) May 24, 2017
The Gaels got their state championship while their QB was named one of the top 25 quarterbacks in the nation.
Then, the New Haven Register voted Orlovsky as the Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year.
Additionally, three different media outlets named him an All-American, and Orlovsky was voted the Class LL Most Valuable Player.
Choosing UConn
When Orlovsky was still a junior, a number of college football programs came calling.
Among them were Virginia, Michigan State, Purdue and Michigan.
The University of Connecticut and new head coach Randy Edsall reached out as well.
Edsall explained in great detail his plans for putting the Huskies football program on the map.
He envisioned Orlovsky leading the team as it made the transition from Division I-AA to I-A.
"It's about the team. We won because we were a team, and nobody cared who got the credit. Nobody was bigger than anybody else." -Randy Edsall
Great teammates don't sacrifice their individual goals. Great teammates sacrifice their individual egos. pic.twitter.com/LAhnae1sk2— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) January 4, 2023
Obviously, the sales pitch worked because Orlovsky verbally committed to Edsall as a junior.
“When I was little I loved Notre Dame and Boston College,” Orlovsky said. “UConn was never on the main scene. When Coach Edsall started recruiting me I started liking them more and more.”
When he told his father, Dan Sr., shock, surprise and disappointment followed.
Orlovsky Sr. wanted Junior to attend Purdue because of its solid reputation as a quarterback school.
But Dan Jr. assured his dad that he had made the correct choice.
Around the same time, Orlovsky worked tirelessly to improve his speed.
Although he was well over six feet tall and had a great arm, his 40-yard dash time was 6.2 seconds, slower than some offensive linemen.
For several months, the QB pushed himself to the breaking point and beyond.
“I always had raw talent, I could throw hard and accurate, but I was real slow,” Orlovsky said. “I was constantly working out. There were times I fainted or threw up. I would get up at 5 a.m. three days a week and run in the dark.”
Through sheer determination, he got his time down considerably, to 4.85 seconds.
Second Thoughts
When he initially arrived at UConn, Edsall believed Orlovsky would redshirt his first year.
However, two games into the 2001 season, the Huskies’ starting quarterback was injured, and Orlovsky was suddenly under center.
In the third game of the season, the University of Buffalo came to town and waxed UConn, 37-20.
Distraught over the perceived lack of fight from his teammates, Orlovsky called his dad and told him he wanted to leave.
“I love Detroit and I love the Lions organization… I would love to be the offensive coordinator.“
-Dan Orlovsky on the @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/qEbs3Sh8c8
— Hailmarypass (@Hailmarypass_) January 14, 2026
Instead of hearing an sympathetic voice, Orlovsky’s father told him he was staying put.
“He had just been beaten by Buffalo, the worst Division I team in the country,” Dan Sr. remembered. “Dan said the team had accepted losing. They were quitting. I told him he had given Connecticut his word.”
Reluctantly, Orlovsky stayed and helped the Huskies win their next two games.
Unfortunately, that was followed by a six-game losing streak to end the year.
As a freshman, Orlovsky passed for 1,379 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions for 2-9 UConn.
Big Improvement
Orlovsky’s sophomore season was better.
The Huskies went 6-6 in 2002 and even beat Iowa State in the final game of the year, 37-20.
Number 7 threw for 2,488 yards, a Division I Independent-leading 60.4 completion percentage (221 of 366 pass attempts), 19 touchdowns and 11 picks.
Dan Orlovsky
UConn, Quarterback 2001-2005 pic.twitter.com/Jbt7ArcHCT— College Football 24/7 (@CFB247) May 20, 2021
In 2003, the 6’5”, 215-pound Orlovsky helped UConn reach nine wins while passing for Division I Independent-bests in attempts (475), completions (279), completion percentage (58.7), passing yards (3,485, also good for seventh-best in the country) and touchdowns (33) with 14 interceptions.
He also led in four other categories, including passing efficiency (137.4).
“He’s growing up in a football environment,” UConn quarterback coach Rob Ambrose said. “The more times I can show him something, the more excited he is. It’s more water for the sponge. He enjoys learning and soaking up new information.”
Bowl MVP
Before the 2004 season, UConn became a member of the Big East Conference, and Orlovsky introduced himself in a big way.
While helping the Huskies to a 7-4 record in the regular season, Orlovsky led the conference in attempts (457) and passing yards (3,354) while tossing 23 touchdowns and 15 picks.
During a game at Syracuse on October 30, he set a conference and school-record with 39 completions while passing for a program-record 445 yards, although the Huskies lost, 42-30.
“I’ve done some things that I didn’t expect to do,” said Orlovsky. “But I’ve always had it in my mind that I could do something special.”
After the season, UConn was invited to its first-ever bowl game, a contest against Toledo in the Motor City Bowl.
December 27, 2004: In UConn's first ever bowl appearance, Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) scrambles on 4th & 6 to throw a 32 yard TD in a 39-10 win over Toledo pic.twitter.com/6wqmLAtK2i
— Husky Highlights (@UConnHighlights) December 27, 2021
The Rockets were favored by three before the game, but Orlovsky threw two touchdowns in the first half to help stake the Huskies to a 30-7 halftime lead.
Toledo mustered all of 10 points in the second half, and UConn ran away with the victory, 39-10.
Orlovsky was voted the MVP based on his 239 yards and two passing touchdowns.
During his collegiate career, Orlovsky set several UConn records while passing for totals of 10,706 yards, 84 touchdowns and 51 picks, and rushing for six scores on the ground.
5th Round Pick
In the 1990s, the Detroit Lions rode the gifted legs of all-world running back Barry Sanders.
The franchise made the playoffs in six seasons that decade, including an appearance in the NFC Championship game in 1991.
After yet another run to the postseason in 1999, the Lions fell off the face of the Earth.
Four head coaches led the team from 2000 through 2004, and all failed to bring the organization back to respectability.
Before the 2005 season, Detroit general manager Matt Millen selected Orlovsky with the 145th pick in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft.
During his rookie year, he backed up starter Joey Harrington and played in two games, totaling 63 yards on seven completions.
UPDATE: Dan Orlovsky is now in at QB for the Lions. Matthew Stafford pulled after 3 picks, down 35-7 in 3rd quarter. pic.twitter.com/zeDmfNEORz
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 11, 2015
Steve Mariucci began the year as the head coach but was fired after a 4-7 start.
For the final five games, Dick Jauron went 1-4 for a combined 5-11 season.
In 2006, Rod Marinelli was the new coach, and Detroit won just 10 games in ‘06 and 2007.
Meanwhile, Orlovsky was buried on the depth chart as the third-string QB and didn’t get a whiff of playing time.
Not a Promising Start
Detroit completed its 2006 season with a 3-13 record and followed that up with seven wins in 2007.
So, there was little to suggest that disaster was about to strike.
The preseason started off with a bang as the Lions went 4-0.
On offense, the team had star receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson (plus a backup tight end named Dan Campbell) and a fairly good offensive line.
When the season began, veteran Jon Kitna was the starter under center until a back injury ended his year in Week 4.
By then, the Lions were 0-4, and none of the losses were close.
Orlovsky was promoted to first string and got his first career start in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Dan Orlovsky Detroit Lions Highlights because WHY NOT 🍿 https://t.co/x4Yt2PPB6C pic.twitter.com/XT0mEk1M73
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) January 15, 2026
Early in the first quarter, Orlovsky was lined up in shotgun and backed up to his own end zone.
When the ball was snapped, the Vikings’ defense relentlessly pursued the quarterback.
In honor of Dame Lillard ending Dan Orlovsky let’s look back at Dan’s career highlights pic.twitter.com/6uub9Aa3uR
— Hoops (@Hoopss) May 28, 2020
Scrambling for his life, Orlovsky inadvertently stepped out of the back of the end zone, giving Minnesota a safety.
“When they started blowing the whistle, I was like, ‘Did we false start, or were they offsides or something?'” Orlovsky said. “And I looked, and I was just like, ‘You’re an idiot.'”
The score turned out to be the winning margin for the Vikings.
Although Orlovsky ended the day with 150 yards passing, one touchdown pass and zero turnovers, his gaffe became a 12-10 loss.
0-16
As the season continued, things got worse and worse for Detroit.
The losses piled up, and the coaches attacked the players, and vice versa.
Finger-pointing became commonplace, and the Lions felt doomed to finish the ‘08 season utterly defeated.
The #Lions have requested to interview ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky for their Offensive Coordinator job. pic.twitter.com/PoS1JbQvsX
— Richard Johnson (@RichJohnsonNFL) January 15, 2026
Since he was the leader of the offense, Orlovsky tried his best to put on a brave face.
“As I look back, it was almost like we were working backward from a result we all knew was coming,” Orlovsky said. “It was still incredibly important for me to go to work, practice, prepare and play as hard as I could. I wanted my teammates to know that no matter what, I wanted to win.”
In Week 7, Orlovsky found Megatron for a spectacular 96-yard touchdown bomb.
Detroit still lost, 28-21.
He started six games, all losses, before sustaining an injury and newly signed free agent Daunte Culpepper took over.
Culpepper started five games before his year ended with a shoulder injury.
“But I think as the games went by — loss after loss after loss after loss — everyone started to buy into the lie: We weren’t good enough. We wouldn’t win a single game,” Orlovsky continued.
Before the regular season finale against the Green Bay Packers, Orlovsky was named the starter again.
The Lions made it a game for the first three-plus quarters, but the Packers eventually pulled away with a 31-21 win.
The 2008 Detroit Lions remain the only NFL team ever to go 0-16 in a season. pic.twitter.com/66eflXZVe5
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 24, 2016
That left Detroit with a 0-16 final record.
“Walking back through that tunnel and into the locker room was surreal. Dead silence. I was distraught. I couldn’t believe we were here, at 0-16. Some of the guys were crushed. Some of the guys were numb to it. Truthfully? Some were just happy it was over,” said Orlovsky.
Moving On
During his seven starts in 2008, Orlovsky passed for 1,818 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Shortly after the season ended, he decided to test the free agent market rather than return to the toxic Lions.
The Houston Texans reached out and signed Orlovsky to a three-year, $9 million contract.
“First, I’m just excited to be here,” said Orlovsky to the press. “To Mr. McNair (Houston Texans owner Bob McNair) and his family and (Texans general manager) Rick Smith and (Texans head) coach (Gary) Kubiak, I’m excited. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I think they realized and know I’m going to work my tail off to just be part of this team and do anything I can to help win the division and into the playoffs.”
At the time, Matt Schaub was the starter, and the club also signed former Chicago Bears starter Rex Grossman.
The higher level a Quarterback plays, the more responsibility they have before the snap.
When Dan Orlovsky played for Gary Kubiak in Houston, he said they would have 4-5 "CIRI" Play Calls a game.
CIRI = Call it & Run it
This means the Quarterback doesn't have to think at all.… pic.twitter.com/Wi0KejAqbG
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) April 16, 2024
During training camp, Grossman beat out Orlovsky for the second-string job.
Schaub started every game that year for 9-7 Houston.
Before the 2010 season, Grossman headed east to the Washington Redskins, and Orlovsky was elevated to the backup spot.
Once again, Schaub started all 16 games as the Texans went 6-10.
Orlovsky appeared in one game but didn’t record any stats.
Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Colts ended their 14-2 season in 2009 with a loss in Super Bowl XLIV.
In 2010, quarterback Peyton Manning, who had been the NFL’s MVP the year before, tried to get the franchise back to the big game.
A 10-6 record helped Indy get back to the playoffs, but they were upset in the wild-card round by the New York Jets.
Sometime during the offseason, Manning injured his neck.
In 2011, Peyton Manning was recovering from his third neck surgery.
He hadn't played in over a year.
There was no timetable, protocol, or specific treatment to follow.
The first time that he tried to throw the ball, he couldn't grip the ball.
Peyton said, "The frustrating… pic.twitter.com/70E1sz2TvT
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) December 31, 2023
His injury would turn out to be severe enough that he missed the entire 2011 season.
Orlovsky was signed to help bring veteran leadership to the position, as was Kerry Collins, who came out of retirement.
However, Orlovsky was one of the last players cut near the end of training camp before getting re-signed after Week 3 when Collins sustained a season-ending injury.
At that point, the Colts were 0-3, and Orlovsky sat on the bench for a few weeks, watching as starter Curtis Painter lost eight games in a row.
Coming out of a bye week before a November 27 tilt against Carolina, head coach Jim Caldwell told Orlovsky he would start the rest of the season.
Starting for the Colts
Normally, this would be exciting news for a backup.
The problem was, Indy was 0-10, and Orlovsky had shades of deja vu from his experience in 2008 with Detroit.
“I had lived this nightmare,” Orlovsky wrote in a 2017 article for The Athletic.” I was forever part of the credits at the end. How could I be going through this again? Do I want to start? What happens if we don’t win a game, again?”
Indy’s roster wasn’t as thin as the Lions’ in 2008, however.
The Colts had Joseph Addai and Donald Brown in the backfield and Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark catching footballs.
Caldwell was a good coach, and the Indianapolis players hadn’t given up.
Optimism waned a bit after losses to Carolina, New England and Baltimore in Orlovsky’s first three starts.
Then, the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders when the Colts beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 15, 27-13.
#ColtsPOTD: Dan Orlovsky pic.twitter.com/oUUhiN5guY
— Out Of Context Indianapolis Colts (@NoContext_Indy) August 6, 2024
One week later, the winning streak continued with a 19-16 victory over Orlovsky’s previous team, the Houston Texans.
The QB led Indy on a 78-yard drive with under two minutes remaining to get the victory.
Although the Colts lost in the regular season finale against Jacksonville, both wins went on Orlovsky’s personal record.
He ended the year with 1,201 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions.
Riding the Pine in Tampa Bay
The following spring, the Colts declined to re-sign Orlovsky, and he was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He backed up Josh Freeman in 2012 while the Bucs went 7-9 under first-year head coach Greg Schiano.
Orlovsky saw action in one game and passed for 51 yards.
“I’ve been around a long enough time to understand guys and teams and coaches,” said Orlovsky. “I know what my role is. My role is to be Josh’s backup and be ready to play, and if needed be ready to play at a high level, winning football. I’m confident in that. It’s also my role to make sure he’s playing as well as he can, he’s as prepared as he can be.”
In 2013, he was still behind Freeman, and Tampa Bay regressed to 4-12, Schiano’s last year with the franchise.
Following the season, Orlovsky was a free agent again after posting no stats in one appearance.
Return to the Motor City
In early April 2014, the Detroit Lions brought Orlovsky back to Michigan to back up Matthew Stafford.
He watched the entire season as Stafford led Detroit to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth against the Dallas Cowboys.
Although the Lions lost to Dallas, 24-20, it was Orlovsky’s first look at the playoffs from a player’s perspective.
🚨🚨REMINDER🚨🚨#NFL MVP voter Dan Orlovsky is represented by the same agency as #Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
They are both represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA.)
Orlovsky and Stafford are very good friends, as Dan was Matt’s backup QB in Detroit.
Crazy bias 😳 pic.twitter.com/6thyIOLVh3
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) December 31, 2025
Just when Lions fans got their hopes up, Detroit slipped to 7-9 in 2015.
But Orlovsky got a little playing time with appearances in two games and totaled 201 yards, one touchdown and one pick.
He returned to the team in 2016 and sat out all season yet again as Stafford took the Lions back to the playoffs with a 9-7 record.
Not long after Detroit lost to Seattle in the wild-card round, Orlovsky was released.
Retirement
In the summer before the 2017 NFL season, Orlovsky was signed by the Los Angeles Rams, but he was released during final cuts.
Then, in mid-October, he decided it was time to call it quits and retire.
During his career, Orlovsky was 2-10 as a starter and passed for 3,132 yards, 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and rushed for 34 yards.
Analyst
Orlovsky was a player in the NFL for 12 years and made good money.
When he retired, however, he still needed to get a job to help his wife, Tiffany, raise their four kids.
After initially looking into medical sales, Tiffany encouraged her husband to try broadcasting, specifically analyst positions.
He liked the idea and started posting interesting tidbits on his Twitter account, and in 2018, Orlovsky was hired by ESPN.
ESPN’s @danorlovsky7 provides some hope for Broncos fans and the mystery of a backup QB with @MikeEvans1043, @bstokley14 and @markschlereth | by @PetersenWill https://t.co/fCXKV9CQ1Q
— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) January 21, 2026
Since then, he has been front and center on several of the network’s attention-grabbing shows such as “NFL Live”, “First Take,” and “Get Up.”
The former quarterback has taken to his analyst job with zeal, and his preparation is evident to his coworkers.
“[Dan has a] maniacal desire to be the best,” said Laura Rutledge, the host of “NFL Live,” his main gig. “He preps like no one I’ve ever seen in my entire life for anything that he does.”
When he’s not on television, Orlovsky can be found with his family, including son Madden, who is autistic.
Madden Orlovsky who has autism, breaks into "You've Got a Friend in Me" while his father Dan watches on with tears in his eyes.
This was to honor Autism Awareness Day and the best thing you’ll see today pic.twitter.com/577t9jwq9d
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) April 3, 2025
On April 2, 2025, Madden came on the set of “NFL Live” and showed the viewing audience his designs for the show’s studio graphics.
His father beamed with pride.
References
https://www.sports-reference.com
https://www.pro-football-reference.com
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