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Mina Kimes’ ability to hang has never been in doubt.
Not only is she one of the most respected and insightful football analysts in sports media — some NFL teams have tried to poach her, in fact — but she’s also able to spit hot takes back and forth with the likes of Stephen A. Smith with the best of them.
Because Mina Kimes is so intelligent, that also makes her a risky person to try and take shots at, as she’s proven multiple times over the years. Her NFL Live co-host Dan Orlovsky was the latest to learn that unfortunate lesson.
After Orlovsky made a joke about her having the lowest Madden rating on the show, Kimes replied by saying, “You really gonna open yourself up to Awareness jokes on here?” and ratioed him into oblivion.
You really gonna open yourself up to Awareness jokes on here?
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) July 24, 2024
Kimes’ comeback is, of course, a reference to Orlovsky’s most famous moment of his NFL career when he ran out of the back of the endzone while playing quarterback for the lowly Detroit Lions.
Luckily for Orlovsky, while he’ll never be able to escape this infamous play, he has since reinvented himself and is now, similar to Kimes, considered one of the best NFL analysts in sports media, appearing on multiple ESPN shows such as Get Up!, First Take, SportsCenter, and NFL Live.
October 12, 2008: Orlovsky runs out. pic.twitter.com/2Rg1vUIqw2
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) October 12, 2023
Kimes signed a new contract with ESPN in late 2023 that will reportedly pay her $1.7 million per year.
“ESPN has re-signed Mina Kimes to a multi-year agreement, as the multi-faceted contributor continues her groundbreaking NFL analyst role on NFL Live, hosting The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny, and appearing regularly on Around the Horn, First Take, SportsCenter, and more,” ESPN said in the official press release announcing Kimes’ contract extension.
“During the duration of the new agreement, Kimes will surpass 10 years with the company, having joined in 2014.”
With NFL training camps kicking off this week, Kimes and Orlovsky’s season as two of ESPN’s go-to on-air talents is just around the corner.