Football fans likely remember Dan Orlovsky as a bit of a meme. The former quarterback played 11 seasons in the NFL with four different teams, but most fans recall him for a play in which he accidentally ran out of the back of the end zone during a game against the Minnesota Vikings, costing the Detroit Lions a safety.
Ex-Lions QB Dan Orlovsky Has Become a Media Star After NFL Career
Orlovsky spent the first four seasons of his career with the Lions. He played two games as a rookie and 10 games in 2008 — the year Detroit famously went 0-16.
That season, Orlovsky started seven games, throwing for 1,616 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Following the winless year, he left Detroit and signed with the Houston Texans in 2009, where he spent two seasons but appeared in just one game.
In 2011, Orlovsky joined the Indianapolis Colts and saw more playing time. He appeared in eight games and started five, earning his first career win as a starter. He threw for just over 1,200 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions while completing 63.2% of his passes. He finished 2-3 as a starter during that stint.
Orlovsky later played three games over two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before returning to Detroit in 2014 to back up Matthew Stafford. He appeared in two more games — both in 2015 — before signing with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams released him in 2017, and Orlovsky retired shortly after.
Since retiring, Orlovsky has become a breakout personality in sports media. He joined ESPN in 2018 as an NFL and college football analyst and, in 2022, became part of the network’s No. 2 NFL broadcasting crew alongside Steve Levy and Louis Riddick Jr.
While fans now know Orlovsky for his passionate takes — especially on the Lions — he stepped away from football talk on Wednesday to share a heartfelt moment with his son, Madden, on World Autism Awareness Day.
Orlovsky Gets Emotional in Wholesome Moment With His Son
Orlovsky appeared on NFL Live on Wednesday, where a panelist noted the studio’s different appearance. A number of drawings decorated the screens—artwork created by Orlovsky’s son, Madden, who has autism.
“His superpower is drawing. He loves art, he loves to draw animation characters. The art of (the studio) is decorated all by Madden. It’s all his drawings,” Orlovsky said, as ESPN aired footage of Madden reacting to seeing his work displayed.
“This is like him in his truest form. His favorite thing in the world is to draw, to create characters, to create animated characters. Some of them are probably from a month ago, some of them are probably from three, four, five years ago. It’s his superpower, it’s his favorite thing to do. He’s incredibly talented at it,” Orlovsky said.
It's a special edition of NFL Live today as @danorlovsky7's son, Madden, has his drawings on display throughout the studio to honor World Autism Awareness Day 🧩
Way to go, Madden! pic.twitter.com/VI958WTJfx
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 2, 2025
It was a special moment between father and son — and a classy move by ESPN to spotlight Madden’s passion. It’s the kind of moment neither of them is likely to forget.