Stephen A. Smith Warns ESPN It Could Lose Orlovsky, Riddick and Clark

Overview

• Smith told First Take viewers Monday that ESPN should “cherish” Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick and Ryan Clark or risk seeing them hired away.
• His remarks landed after reports that Orlovsky was removed from ESPN’s No. 2 Monday Night Football booth, with Chris Fowler and Riddick also reportedly out of those game roles.
• ESPN’s control of NFL Network became official last week under a reported $3 billion deal, and coverage notes the company can now move talent across platforms.
• Orlovsky signed a multiyear ESPN extension last summer after interest from CBS, and there are no confirmed departures for him, Riddick or Clark at this time.
• Smith said a team could give Riddick a general manager role and that Clark could be recruited elsewhere, echoing Riddick’s 2025 GM interview and Clark’s 2024 extension as signals of their market value.