Dan Orlovsky’s Rant on Lamar Jackson Backfires as Truth Emerges, ESPN Forced to Delete Clip

Baltimore Ravens uploaded Lamar Jackson arriving at the facility for voluntary workout session after Dan Orlovsky noted that he might skip it like the previous two years.

Dan Orlovsky’s Rant on Lamar Jackson Backfires as Truth Emerges, ESPN Forced to Delete Clip

Lamar Jackson and Dan Orlovsky inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/Twitter)

In Short
  • Dan Orlovsky criticized Lamar Jackson for missing voluntary workouts, only to be proven wrong when Jackson was seen at the facility shortly after.
  • ESPN deleted a clip of Orlovsky's comments following the revelation of Jackson's presence.
  • Stephen A. Smith defended Orlovsky, suggesting he is valuable to ESPN despite recent controversies surrounding his opinions.

Dan Orlovsky offered up a Lamar Jackson take that backfired almost immediately. On Monday’s segment of ESPN’s First Take, Orlovsky discussed Jackson’s chances of attending the Baltimore Ravens “voluntary” workout camp.

Jackson had skipped the last two editions of the first phase of the camp and trained under a specialist trainer. Orlovsky argued that Jackson will continue his tradition in 2026 as well.

I’m not going to overreact to him not being there. Maybe he gets there in the next day or two, but it certainly sounds like that’s not going to be the case.

Dan Orlovsky said on First Take around 8:18 A.M

Six minutes later, the Ravens posted a slow-mo video of Jackson at the facility wearing an “I Love Jesus” hoodie.

Derrick Henry, Trey Hendrickson, Marlon Humphrey, and Zay Flowers joined Jackson for the new NFL calendar’s first workout session.

Dan Orlovsky has a history with Jackson that is fueled by a public perception that he is not a fan of Jackson. Prior to the start of last season, Orlovsky pointed to Jackson while discussing the quarterback under the most pressure to win a Super Bowl.

At some point, we have to get past the reasons and excuses for why it doesn’t happen. This is a team that has a Super Bowl-winning head coach, it has the best roster in football, they’re starting secondary is all first-round picks, and their quarterback has multiple MVPs. At some point, you gotta go win the whole thing.

Orlovsky said

The Ravens failed to live up to the early-season hype. Jackson picked up a hamstring injury and missed a few games. Even after making a swift comeback, he struggled to produce results. The season went down to the wire. A botched field goal and a fumble from Jackson ended the Ravens’ chances of playing postseason football.

Stephen A. Smith comes to Dan Orlovsky’s defense

Orlovsky tends to stay on the news for his questionable hot takes. Recently, he advocated for the Las Vegas Raiders to draft Alabama’s Ty Simpson over the CFP champion and reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza.

Dan Orlovsky’s Rant on Lamar Jackson Backfires as Truth Emerges, ESPN Forced to Delete Clip
Dan Orlovsky (Image via IMAGO)

Orlovsky’s tone did not sit well with the football community. His remarks came across as biased. They quickly discovered a link between the former NFL quarterback and Simpson. Since then, Orlovsky has been on the unofficial blacklist. However, Stephen A. Smith came to his colleague’s defense by urging the ESPN network to value the work and effort done by Orlovsky.

I’m gonna say this on national television to the bosses at ESPN, we need to cherish the people that we have. I don’t think Dan Orlovsky’s gonna be here too much longer, because this man knows his damn football and somebody gonna get smart enough and scoop him up.

Stephen A. Smith said

Judging from Smith’s statement, Orlovsky’s time on ESPN may soon come to an end. After ESPN bought the NFL Network for $3 billion, the company took Orlovsky out of the broadcast booth, where he mostly covered the Monday Night game. As part of the deal, ESPN also agreed not to air any further Monday night doubleheaders, along with international games.

The schedule change is set to affect Orlovsky, Chris Fowler, and Louis Riddick. Although Orlovsky is expected to continue in his role as an analyst, Smith’s veiled warning should not be taken lightly as well.

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