Stephen A. Smith has been known for his banter with Dan Orlovsky, and his latest comments have addressed his post-Super Bowl sign-off. It’s a post-Super Bowl tradition as reliable as the confetti: Dan Orlovsky’s dramatic ‘goodbye’ to ESPN. But this year, Stephen A. Smith wasn’t playing along

“Dan Orlovsky, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on vacation,” Stephen A. Smith said when Orlovsky showed up on First Take recently. “The reason I’m asking this question, Dan Orlovsky, because even though I love you, my brother, and you’re on the show, you had us sit there and did everything but give you a hug and throw a swan song party for you when the Super Bowl was over, like we wasn’t gonna see you again. This is the second time I’m seeing you this week, my brother.”

Every year when the season ends, the quarterback-turned-ESPN-analyst delivers a warm farewell with words of gratitude, slightly ambiguous, and just dramatic enough to fuel speculations about his future. This year, there was one problem: Orlovsky came back twice.

But Orlovsky then clarified that he’s only been following his “normal routine”.

“Usually after the Super Bowl, I take the rest of the month off, which I did,” Orlovsky explained. “Then I worked Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, a free agency week. Then I’ll go away for another week or two. I’ll pick up again at the draft. After that, you won’t see me for a couple of months.”

Dan Orlovsky had pulled a similar move last season as well. After the Super Bowl LIX, Orlovsky’s sign-off drew even more attention since his contract with ESPN was set to expire. His post-Super Bowl words seemed like a genuine signal.

“I love you all,” Orlovsky had said. “You never know what the future holds, but I’m taking a break.”

This year, he dropped the uncertainty around his future and shared a similar note of gratitude that felt like a farewell. But locked into a new multi-year deal with ESPN, his future at the network isn’t in question. The exit was theater, and Stephen A. Smith made sure the whole studio knew exactly that.

“So, in other words, you were never really going to be gone,” Smith said after Orlovsky’s explanation. “You just acted like you were going to be gone so we could celebrate you while you were departing, even though you were never really going away.”

But Orlovsky’s defense was simple: gratitude.

“I’m on every day during the season,” Orlovsky explained. “So when I go from 100 to zero, I like to take 30 seconds to say, ‘thank you for allowing me to be a part of the show.’ That’s it. It’s called being grateful.”

This is not the first time Stephen A. Smith has sparked such banter with Dan Orlovsky on air. Back in late 2023, during a segment on First Take, Smith could not resist taking a jab at his colleague’s wardrobe. Reacting to Orlovsky’s look during the broadcast, the outspoken analyst blurted out what he felt about Orlovsky’s get-up.

“What’s up with that damn outfit!” the host said.

In Orlovsky’s recent comments came a hint of his future. It would appear that Orlovsky is staying put at ESPN. With the mic still firmly in hand, he’s already set his sights on a franchise dealing with far more serious questions than a dramatic farewell.

Dan Orlovsky’s clear verdict for the New York Jets

The New York Jets recently brought Geno Smith back this offseason. It’s homecoming for Smith, suiting up for the same team that had drafted him in the second round back in 2013.

After their 2025 disaster, the Jets had lost confidence in Justin Fields as their starter, and Smith was projected to be one of the best choices for New York. But speaking on ESPN New York’s The Michael Kay Show, Dan Orlovsky delivered a stinging assessment.

“If you are people that are Jets fans and/or people on my side of the business that are looking at the reality, you’re going, if you’re the Jets, you want to have the No. 1 pick in 2027,” Orlovsky said. “That’s just what’s best for them long term.”

The Jets need an immediate overhaul after their 3-14 season. But to do that, Orlovsky suggests the Jets might be planning to tank the 2026 season so they can get high draft ammunition for 2027. To his credit, Orlovsky did acknowledge what Smith brings as a 35-year-old starter.

“They got an adult, and they got a professional,” Orlovsky added. “I think that’s the reality of where they are right now, they got somebody who can just kind of be a quarterback at a starter level that will make them a competitive football team week in and week out… This is not the long-term solution.”

Geno Smith arrives in New York on the heels of a 3,025-yard season with 19 touchdowns against 17 picks (a league high). But that was with the struggling Las Vegas Raiders 2025 squad. In a new system with proper weapons, Smith could still ball out.

The Jets, meanwhile, hold the longest active postseason drought among major North American pro sports leagues: 15 years. With head coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey overseeing a rebuild, bringing in a veteran bridge QB signals a team that’s accepted what 2026 really is.

Orlovsky isn’t saying what perhaps no one else sees. He’s just the one willing to say it out loud before the Jets’ 2026 campaign makes or breaks that narrative.