Dan Orlovsky Compares Aaron Donald’s Unretirement With Tom Brady’s Move to Bucs, Leaves Stephen A. Smith Baffled

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky is certain that the Rams are Super Bowl contenders with the addition of Aaron Donald similar to how the Buccaneers were by signing Tom Brady in 2020.

Dan Orlovsky Compares Aaron Donald’s Unretirement With Tom Brady’s Move to Bucs, Leaves Stephen A. Smith Baffled

Tom Brady, Aaron Donald and Dan Orlovsky inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

Aaron Donald unretired to sign with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, August 30. Donald spent 10 years with the Rams, won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, 8 All-Pro selections, 10 Pro Bowls, and a Super Bowl winner’s ring in 2021.

Donald retired following the 2023 season. Over the next two years, he teased the idea of a return. But he only wanted to sign with the Rams. Speculation began about his comeback when the Rams traded for All-Pro edge and reigning DPOY Myles Garrett earlier in the year.

In the offseason, Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed that Donald practiced at the Rams facility on several occasions. The Rams front office confirmed that Donald had kept up with his training. He has stayed in peak athletic condition.

Eventually, Donald signed a one-year extension worth up to $30 million with the NFC West franchise. With Donald’s addition, the Rams are now the clear favorites to win the Super Bowl with +500 odds according to NBC Sports.

Dan Orlovsky compared Donald’s return to Tom Brady signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

This is Brady going to the Bucs. That was the last time a team went into the season being that much of a favorite.

Dan Orlovsky said on Monday’s segment of ESPN’s Get Up
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Veteran ESPN analyst could not fathom Dan Orlovsky comparing Aaron Donald’s return to the Rams to Tom Brady signing with the Buccaneers

Orlovsky’s colleague, Stephen A. Smith, disagreed with the former quarterback’s take. On First Take, Smith argued that Brady “drastically improved Tampa’s chances” of winning the Super Bowl, but the Buccaneers weren’t the clear favorites to take the championship.

Don Orlovsky Compares Aaron Donald's Unretirement With Tom Brady's Move to Bucs, Leaves Stephen A. Smith Baffled
Aaron Donald (Image via IMAGO)

That Bucs roster had Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the offense, but Smith recalled that the Bucs weren’t the favorites.

“Where the hell did you come up with this comparison?… Tampa Bay wasn’t this Los Angeles Rams team. You knew that [Brady] upgraded them and they had a shot,” Smith said, to which Orlovsky quickly retorted, “When Tom Brady went to the Bucs, it was—that’s the team that’s gonna win the Super Bowl… absolutely it was.”

Adam Schefter, who was present in the FT studio alongside Orlovsky and host Kimberly Martin, sided with Smith. Smith quickly piggybacked on Schefter’s acknowledgment and launched a fresh jab at Orlovsky.

I love the fact that Adam Schefter, the great Adam Schefter, is part of the segment right now because he is an eyewitness to the fawning of a quarterback that Dan Orlovsky religiously does. Tom Brady had departed from New England… Remember a few years earlier… he didn’t even wanna [leave]… [In this Rams team] You see this from top to bottom from both sides of the ball. Listen there’s no question when you look at this Los Angeles Rams, it’s championship or bust.

Brady won a Super Bowl (seventh of his career) in his first year with the Buccaneers. Per Yahoo Sports, the Bucs had 50-to-1 odds to win the 2020-21 Super Bowl, which jumped to 15-to-1 after they signed Brady. Currently, the Rams boast +500 odds or 5-to-1 with the addition of Aaron Donald. However, Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports noted that preseason favorites with Super Bowl odds of +500 or better have gone 0-for-20 over a recent 30-year span, failing to win the championship.

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