Everything you need to know about quarterback Brendan Sorsby and his quest for the NFL supplemental draft

As the last few teams wind down their minicamps, a quiet time on the NFL calendar suddenly got some spice with the news that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby was dropping his lawsuit against the NCAA and instead applying for the NFL supplemental draft.

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Sorsby’s profile is one of the most unique in years. He’s a well-built quarterback with good production and solid NFL tape, yet he carries significant baggage stemming from a gambling addiction that included 40 bets on his own team. Sorsby may become the first player taken in the NFL supplemental draft since 2019 when the Cardinals took safety Jalen Thompson with a fifth-round pick.

For those who have only followed Sorsby’s ordeal casually (yours truly, included), here is a Q&A on everything you need to know:

▪ Who is Brendan Sorsby?

A rising fifth-year quarterback from Denton, Texas, who stands 6 feet 3 inches and 235 pounds and is a late-blooming NFL prospect. He started just seven games at Indiana in the 2022-23 seasons, but played well the last two years after transferring to Cincinnati, throwing for 4,813 yards, 45 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions over 24 starts.

Sorsby transferred again for 2026, accepting a deal from Texas Tech that would have paid him more than $4 million in Name, Image and Likeness money.

▪ What are the gambling allegations?

On April 27, Texas Tech announced that Sorsby was checking himself into rehab for gambling addiction, shortly before news emerged that he was found to have made thousands of bets totaling about $90,000 over four years, including about 40 bets on Indiana in 2022 when he was a Hoosiers backup quarterback. Sorsby’s attorneys said he suffers from a gambling and anxiety disorder and spent 35 days in a rehab center in Arizona. Cincinnati has denied knowing about Sorsby’s gambling habit.

The NCAA ruled Sorsby ineligible on May 18, and his appeal was denied on May 26, and Texas Tech’s appeal on Sorsby’s behalf denied on June 5. Sorsby and his attorneys filed an injunction with Lubbock County’s 99th District Court on May 18.

▪ When did all heck break loose?

On June 8, when Senior Judge Ken Curry granted Sorsby his injunction, overturning the NCAA’s decision and allowing Sorsby to play in 2026, though he would still be suspended for the first two games of the season, as proposed by his attorneys. Curry cited “probable, imminent and irreparable injury” to Sorsby if he weren’t allowed to play while his legal fight proceeded, which likely would have lasted well into 2027.

The decision caused an uproar with the public but also the NCAA and other universities, with Big 12 opponents threatening to cancel games with Texas Tech across all sports should Sorsby play this fall.

▪ What led to Sorsby leaving Texas Tech?

The NCAA appealed Curry’s injunction on June 9, the Big 12 sued Texas Tech in Dallas federal court this past Monday, and Texas Tech took the hint and told Sorsby that it wouldn’t let him play this fall.

On Tuesday, Sorsby officially dropped his lawsuit with the NCAA and applied for the NFL’s supplemental draft. He reportedly collected $1 million in NIL money that Texas Tech won’t ask him to return, though Cincinnati sued Sorsby for $1 million in in February over a buyout in his contract, and his agent Ron Slavin said Sorsby has $1 million in attorney fees.

▪ Is he guaranteed to be in the supplemental draft?

No. Just because Sorsby applied, the NFL doesn’t have to grant his eligibility. Most supplemental draft picks over the years have entered it because of failed drug tests, academic issues, or disciplinary reasons. The fact that Sorsby’s college ineligibility stems from a significant gambling issue, which directly affects the integrity of the game, complicates the decision.

▪ Can the NFL levy its own punishment?

Possibly. One solution could be to grant Sorsby eligibility but suspend him to start the season, as the NFL did with giving Terrelle Pryor a five-game suspension in 2011 after he was taken in the third round of the supplemental draft.

But Sorsby will fight any punishment, citing the NFL’s treatment of Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte, who was not punished from the NFL despite having a gambling addiction while at LSU, though news of Boutte’s gambling came to light after he was already in the NFL.

▪ If the NFL allows Sorsby into the draft, when will it happen and how does it work?

The NFL collective bargaining agreement says the supplemental draft would have to be “on or before” July 16, seven days before the opening of the first training camp.

Instead of a traditional draft, the order is selected at random via a weighted, segmented lottery system, with last year’s worst teams receiving the most weight and playoff teams not given a shot at the top half of the draft. Teams submit a bid of the 2027 draft pick they are willing to give up, and the team with the highest bid wins, with ties broken by the random draft order.

▪ What are Sorsby’s next steps?

Sorsby tentatively will hold a Pro Day on July 10 at a Dallas-area high school. Slavin, a veteran agent, said on 105.3-FAN he hopes to have the Cowboys’ team doctor conduct a physical that can be shared with all teams.

Slavin also said that 26 NFL general managers have reached out to him already, and Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said he has been receiving calls as well.

“Like I said, there aren’t a lot of guys walking around 6-3, 235 and can move like him and throw it like him,” Slavin said.

▪ Is that agent hype, or is Sorsby really going to be drafted?

Probably both. Sorsby’s gambling issues are significant, and for some teams will be a non-starter. But Slavin is correct that Sorsby has the physical traits and college production to warrant a serious look, and all it takes is one team.

Teams that could be desperate enough at quarterback to make a play: Jets, Cardinals, Browns, and maybe the Falcons or Dolphins.

But several teams could use an upgrade at backup quarterback, including the Bills, Ravens, Colts, Jaguars, Chargers, Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles.

I wouldn’t be shocked if Sorsby goes for a fourth-round pick, where the financial investment is minimal but the upside significant.

The Patriots still have a big piece of business on their plate with the contract negotiations with cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who skipped voluntary workouts and sat out of most of the mandatory minicamp this spring as he angles for a $30-plus million contract at the top of the cornerback market.

Gonzalez has been in town all spring, which often indicates a deal is close, and it doesn’t appear that negotiations have gotten contentious. But a holdout at the start of training camp isn’t a bad or unrealistic idea if Gonzalez wants to make a statement or becomes frustrated.

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Holding out used to be a no-brainer, but since 2011 the CBA has been heavily tilted towards management. Eliot Wolf has mentioned several times this offseason that Gonzalez is “under contract,” and for good reason.

Per Article 42, players on unrestricted free agent contracts who have an unexcused late reporting or absence from training camp are fined $60,000 per day in 2026, plus a regular-season game check for every preseason game missed. “Any such fines shall be mandatory, and shall not be reduced in amount or waived by the Club … (and) must be paid by the player or deducted by the Club,” reads the CBA.

Most of these players — veterans on their second or third contract — now choose to “hold in” instead of hold out, meaning they report to camp to avoid the fines but find ways to stay out of practice until the contract is settled.

However, players still on their rookie contracts like Gonzalez have fewer penalties for holding out. Article 42 states that an unexcused late reporting or absence would result in a fine of $45,000 per day, but there is no language about mandatory fines, and the player doesn’t lose a game check for missing a preseason game.

Every week of camp that Gonzalez skips would cost him just $315,000 in fines, and the Patriots don’t even have to collect. When pursuing a contract worth $150 million, that’s a price and risk Gonzalez should be willing to pay.

The Bengals are one of the NFL’s most patient teams and don’t change their personnel often. Marvin Lewis was their head coach for 16 seasons, and his successor, Zac Taylor, is entering his eighth. The Bengals are also known as one of the most, ahem, cost-conscious teams in the NFL and have a reputation for not firing coaches while they still have large buyouts.

The Bengals brought the entire coaching staff and front office back for 2026. But they have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, and Taylor only has two seasons left on his contract. Bengals ownership met with local reporters this past week to offer support for Taylor and longtime director of player personnel Duke Tobin. But it was what they didn’t say that indicates Taylor and Tobin are finally on the hot seat.

“We think they deserve another opportunity to prove that we can do what we hope we can do,” executive vice president Katie Blackburn said, via The Athletic.

Subtext: Yes, we discussed whether the two deserved another chance.

“I think there’s also that element of consistency that hopefully will prove out to be beneficial, too,” Blackburn said. “I think those are the things that we would rather try to take advantage of and build on rather than having to regroup and figure things out a little bit from scratch.”

Subtext: We’re not ready to move because we haven’t done our research yet on who else is out there.

“I can’t predict anything into the future, but we’re certainly counting on, right now, having a good season and going from there,” Blackburn said.

Subtext: The season better go well.

“We think we’ve made changes in certain processes, on the roster, behind the scenes, certain things that can lead to different outcomes,” VP Elizabeth Blackburn said. “That’s hard sometimes to totally see. But certain change comes with big risk. And we think we’re in a good spot.”

Subtext: If the season goes wrong, we know who to blame.

Last week’s column had an item on the recent congressional hearing on the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 that threatens to strip the NFL of the antitrust exemption that allows the league to bundle its TV rights for billions of dollars.

The Packers dove into the matter, releasing a statement Tuesday supporting the SBA and rebuking Representative Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) for leading the hearing and calling the Packers’ concerns “laughable.”

“What is laughable is that a congressman from Wisconsin is leading this charge,” the Packers said, via ESPN. “The tremendously successful model of pooling media rights and sharing revenue equally amongst teams has allowed the Packers to survive and thrive in the smallest media market in professional sports. This model is as foundational to the Packers’ existence as the very bricks in Lambeau Field. It is careless and unwise to rearrange the bricks of a foundation which has stood strong for over half a century.”

With all due respect to the Packers, their argument is totally disingenuous. Green Bay may be the smallest city in the NFL, and the Packers may have only survived in the old days because of the antitrust exemption, but that’s not the case today.

The Packers’ local media rights cover most of Wisconsin including Milwaukee, and the Packers are one of the NFL’s bedrock franchises, with an iconic stadium, rabid fan base, and large national following.

The Packers surely would make more money selling their own national TV package than what they make from the leaguewide pool. They are propping up the Dolphins, Bengals, Jaguars, Texans, Titans, Chargers, Falcons, Panthers, and Cardinals, who would make far less selling their own TV rights, not because their markets are small, but because demand isn’t as intense.

The reality is the SBA forces Packers fans who don’t live in the local market to pay hundreds of dollars each season to watch their team, which is what congress is probing.

The Packers’ argument made sense in the 1970s, but doesn’t hold much water today.

Joe Flacco famously quipped he has little interest in mentoring young quarterbacks, and Kirk Cousins is loath to call himself the mentor for Fernando Mendoza, but Aaron Rodgers apparently is embracing the role in Pittsburgh with third-round pick Drew Allar.

“He’s pulled me aside during practice to talk through some drill work or things to focus on through different drills,” Allar told reporters this past week. “In the film room, just asking me questions of what I was seeing, what I was looking at and why. Giving me a lot of good knowledge. I’m really excited to keep learning from him. Obviously, he’s one of the best to ever do it in this game. So, the opportunity I have is one I’m not going to take for granted.”

Rodgers can often come across as selfish, but he was a good mentor to Jordan Love in Green Bay and now, in his final season, seems to be embracing Allar.

Rest in peace Aldon Smith, the former 49ers pass rusher who died unexpectedly last weekend at 36. The seventh overall pick in 2011, Smith was a ferocious pass rusher when his head was on straight, being named the Pro Football Writers of America defensive rookie of the year with 14 sacks and following it up with 19.5 sacks the next year. But Smith struggled with substance abuse, earning a nine-game suspension in 2014, an indefinite suspension in 2016 after a DUI hit and run, and had several run-ins with the law after retiring in 2021. The NFL now has far better resources and policies to help players with substance issues, and it’s hard not to wonder if Smith’s career and life would have turned out differently had he been drafted today and not 15 years ago … Deshaun Watson is likely the favorite to win the Browns’ Week 1 quarterback job, but it sounds as if Shedeur Sanders closed the gap this spring. “His growth has been tremendous,” GM Andrew Berry told reporters. “We’re all very excited to see Shedeur’s fall camp, preseason, things of that nature.” … Baker Mayfield isn’t the only Buccaneer upset with his contract. Defensive tackle Vita Vea, set to make $18 million in the last year of his deal, didn’t practice at minicamp. “We’ve been through it before — it’s part of the business,” coach Todd Bowles said … Now official: Both Cams are staying put for a 16th season. Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward signed a two-year, $32 million deal, and Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan signed a one-year deal this past week worth $7.5 million base and $11 million max.

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