We’re about to see one of the most fascinating summer transactions in NFL history. Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is withdrawing from a protracted legal battle with the NCAA. announcing on Monday that he is opting to enter the NFL Supplemental Draftinstead of continuing his attempt to gain eligibility. It’s the first time in over 30 years that a legitimate top quarterback can be secured in the secondary draft, making it a truly once-in-a-generation opportunity to land a potentially elite talent on the cheap.
Sorsby was suspended by the NCAA in May 2026 after entering a rehabilitation center to treat gambling addiction. He admitted that he had lost more than $90,000 placing bets on his own team, using the accounts of family and friends in an attempt to evade detection. The proliferation of sports betting, along with college players having an influx of disposable income through NIL deals, means Sorsby is not the first, and certainly won’t be the last player, to have a gambling problem.
That brings us to the current moment. Sorsby is a talented first-round quarterback who would have gone from the Top 5 to the end of the first round in 2027, even amid one of the richest quarterback classes in history. The raw talent is undeniable. Not only that, but Sorsby showed tremendous growth in Cincinnati, where he threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just 5 interceptions in 2025. Those numbers would have only increased, considering he transferred to an explosive Texas Tech offense before his suspension.
There are only two questions left when it comes to Brendan Sorsby: “Who’s going to bite?” and “What will the cost be?” There have been numerous reports of teams willing to offer him a third-round pick in the OT, meaning they intend to offer a second-round pick or stay out of the game entirely. As for where he should end up, that’s not as simple as pulling teams out of the hat without a quarterback. There is a class of tanks in the NFL right now that includes the Cardinals, Jets and Dolphins, and I maintain that none All of these teams should throw their hats in the Sorsby ring.
Sure, it might be tempting to imagine signing Sorsby now and then getting an elite complementary piece like WR Jeremiyah Smith next April, but at the end of the day you’re still actively choosing to draft a worse quarterback than the one you’d pick at the top of the first round next year. Although Sorsby is a In fact solid perspective, he’s still not at the level of Arch Manning, Dante Moore or Julian Sayin.
Instead, the focus should be on teams that need quarterback help and that they are not already at that tank level. Teams that normally wouldn’t have a chance at landing a talent like Sorsby without trading can now get him in exchange for a Day 2 pick. For these teams it’s the opportunity of a lifetime and one worth diving into.
The Colts are taking their QB position year after year right now, signing Daniel Jones to a two-year extension that shows they’re not entirely sold on making him their long-term starter. This doubt makes a lot of sense and opens up an opportunity for Sorsby to enter the fold.
Finding a starting quarterback through circumstances is a profound move by the Colts. This is the organization that got Peyton Manning and got her paired with Andrew Luck. Getting Sorsby on the cheap would be a great fit for them, and it makes a lot of sense to get ahead of the draft not only to get a player of his caliber, but also to potentially mitigate their concerns with Jones. Sorsby wouldn’t cost them anything against the cap like Jones would, making him a great landing spot.
If they can then trade Anthony Richardson, even for a mid-round pick, then they are playing with house money.
The Steelers will be a decent team this year. I don’t know if they’re a playoff team, but they’ll be decent enough in Aaron Rodgers’ twilight to pick in the late teens at the earliest. For each of the last two years we’ve been waiting for the team to take a quarterback, and no Drew Allar doesn’t count.
Brendan Sorsby is much better than anyone the Steelers could hope to get, especially if he only costs a second or third round pick. At this point, no one knows if Rodgers is going to play one more season, two more seasons, 20 more seasons until he turns to dust at the 50-yard line. Regardless of their intentions, the Steelers need to add more quality bodies to the QB position so they aren’t constantly in a state of blackmail at the whims of Aaron Rodgers.
Giving Sorsby a year to sit and learn, and then giving him an offense with DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. is a very, very good scenario for him.
Who knows what the Browns will be like this year? I’m still torn between thinking they could be the worst team in football and thinking they could achieve five or six wins. That makes them really difficult to project into the Sorsby draft, but I also think it makes infinitely more sense for them than winning some game and needing to package first-round picks to move up and into the top tier of 2027 quarterbacks.
Sorsby is definitely better than Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel (especially Dillon Gabriel). The biggest risk here is adding to his island of misfit toys without clear direction, but if Cleveland believes Sorsby has the talent, then Todd Monken is someone who can get him out of it.
Let’s go ahead and throw a big curveball. Sure, the Bucs have Baker Mayfield, and there’s seemingly no reason to change that plan, but Baker is looking to get a huge payday, and Tampa seems really reluctant to give him that deal with their regime in flux.
The Bucs need to decide if they think they can really win with Mayfield under center or if they need to rebuild. If the decision is the latter, then it’s worth throwing your hat in the ring to get Sorsby a cheap deal, rather than re-signing Mayfield to a high-value contract and remaining in the rut of barely competing.
It’s a rare opportunity for a division contender to get a young quarterback on the cheap.
I’m a big fan of putting Kyler Murray in Minnesota, but there’s no guarantee this will work out like it did with Sam Darnold a couple of years ago. That means Sorsby would be a high-end contingency plan, in case this falls through and Murray is a mediocre quarterback in 2026.
The Vikings have shot themselves in the foot so many times by refusing to truly rebuild the QB position and trading for JJ McCarthy was a symptom of this. McCarthy has proven he’s not the right fit and may still be able to develop, but Sorsby has more physical tools for Kevin O’Connell to work with. It’s worth taking the wheel of a second or third rounder to add a needed QB slot for a team that could easily win 10+ games this season.
The Falcons don’t have much faith in Michael Penix Jr, and I’m sure shouldn’tI have no faith in Tua Tagovailoa. That means Sorsby is a “why not?” for Atlanta. There’s very little to show that Penix or Tua can get the Falcons over the hump, and this team won’t be bad enough to draft high for a quarterback.
This is the point where I’m the least confident, because ultimately I think new head coach Kevin Stefanski will want a year to evaluate his quarterbacks before making a determination, but there’s also a chance he’s already seen enough to justify throwing a Day 2 pick into the supplemental draft to get a player Atlanta wouldn’t otherwise get.
