Former University of Connecticut quarterback Dan Orlovsky is going back to the National Football League for a 13th season.
The Shelton High School grad didn’t know if he’d go back, though, so while he stayed in shape for a potential return, he tended to some unfinished business.
Friday night is pizza night for the Orlovskys. That’s the day I spoke to Dan while he was running errands with his four kids, going to get some dough at Whole Foods. He was getting time in with the family because on Tuesday, he’s moving from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles area to play for the Rams.
“I wanted to be sure that if I was going to go back and play another season, I’d be all in and committed to it,” Orlovsky said. “And I am. I’m looking forward to it.”
Rams quarterback coach Greg Olson tried to recruit Orlovsky to Purdue University out of Shelton High. And he coached him in Detroit, so it’s natural that Olson would bring in Orlovsky.
It’s a one-year deal for the career backup, who spent some time helping out Randy Edsall at UConn this spring while Orlovsky was locking down the college degree that he didn’t get when he left Storrs for the NFL in 2005. And he’s still the Huskies all-time leader in yards passing and touchdown passes.
Orlovsky’s time in Storrs this past spring, albeit brief, resembled what he said he’d like life after retirement to be like. But now that he’s got a contract, he said he can revisit those plans later.
“I’m the type of person that I don’t need to make that decision yet, so I’m not going to,” he said. “But I think football -- and leadership or mentorship -- is at the heart of it.”
The Rams will be the fifth team Orlovsky has played for.
