Former NFL center A.Q. Shipley is returning to the Arizona Cardinals, this time as the team’s new radio color analyst. He succeeds Ron Wolfley, who retired in February after 20 seasons in the booth. A 12-year NFL veteran, Shipley spent a significant portion of his career with the Cardinals and considers his time in Arizona the source of his fondest professional memories.
“I loved every aspect of my time in Arizona,” said Shipley, who still resides in the Valley with his family. The former center, who maintains close friendships with past teammates like Justin Pugh, Carson Palmer, and Drew Stanton, will now build on those memories from the broadcast booth.
Shipley plans to leverage his deep understanding of offensive line play to demystify the game for listeners. “When I played… I took it very seriously, studied my tail off and felt that I was tougher and worked harder than most,” he said. “I’ll take the same aspect into this. I’m speaking a foreign language to some, but if I can do that in a way where my Mom can understand it, then I know everybody can understand it.”
In his new role, Shipley will join a veteran broadcast team featuring play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch and sideline reporter Paul Calvisi, both of whom have been with the organization for over two decades. Pasch, who conducted a mock broadcast with Shipley during the interview process, praised him as “a natural” and highlighted his enthusiasm.
“The biggest common denominator [with the best analysts] is passion for the game. A.Q. has that,” Pasch said.
This is not Shipley’s first foray into media. He has co-hosted a podcast on offensive line analysis with former teammate Justin Pugh and has been a recurring guest on “The Pat McAfee Show.” In addition to his on-air duties, Shipley will serve as a brand ambassador for the organization, appearing on its TV shows and podcasts.
Shipley first signed with the Cardinals in 2015, reuniting with head coach Bruce Arians, for whom he had previously played in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. He became the team’s starting center in 2016 and held the position through 2019, starting 51 of his 60 games with the club, despite missing the 2018 season with a torn ACL. His playing career concluded in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where a neck injury forced his retirement, though he earned a Super Bowl ring with the team that season.
After retiring, Shipley initially pursued coaching, joining Arians’ staff in Tampa for the 2021 season. However, he found the demands of a coaching lifestyle incompatible with his growing family. His new role with the Cardinals allows him to remain deeply involved in the sport from a different perspective.
“I love being able to talk football,” Shipley said. “It’s basically doing exactly what I like to do in terms of a coaching aspect except now it’s in front of people from the media angle.”
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