CFL won’t allow teams to sign Brendan Sorsby

Archer cites multiple sources on this one. Sorsby’s gambling issues were reportedly not enough to dissuade the Cowboys from considering him as a potential long-term replacement for QB Dak Prescott, who turns 33 next week and is signed through 2028. In the end, the NFL declined to hold a supplemental draft this year, preventing the Cowboys from potentially drafting him at “a lower-than-expected price.” Perhaps they will revisit the idea next offseason.

The NFL, NFLPA and Sorsby combined to reach a settlement wherein Sorsby resolves any claims on the league not holding a supplemental draft in exchange for being eligible for the 2027 draft with no additional discipline for any prior conduct. That last bit of the sentence is the key part, enabling teams to select him in 2027 without fear of a suspension. (Barring new evidence, of course.) It never made much sense for Sorsby to try to test the NFL given how easy it would have been for the league to retaliate against him. This is probably a pretty decent outcome for him, all things considered. We have no idea where or how he’ll play in 2026 at this point, but he figures to be a risky Day 2 pick if he can’t show improvement on some football field.

By declining to hold a supplemental draft for Brendan Sorsby, the NFL appears to have ruffled the litigation hornet’s nest. Kessler said that he will “pursue this immediately with the NFLPA.” Where this leads from here, beyond several attorney’s fees, is unknown. The NFL asserted “sole discretion to determine whether it is appropriate to conduct a Supplemental Draft in any given year” in their letter to Sorsby that was leaked earlier today. Well, this’ll give us something to blurb about for the next month or so anyway. It’s worth pointing out that the NFL has not taken kindly to past litigation against it by Brian Flores and that it’s possible that a ruling in favor of Sorsby may not necessarily end with him being drafted.

Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby was the only applicant for the supplemental draft and the league decided to punt him to the 2027 NFL Draft, noting in a letter to Sorsby “The issues presented by your Petition are too significant, and too closely tied to the League’s core integrity interests, to permit meaningful review within the timeline presented.” The letter also says that “after receiving notice of the NCAA’s decision rescinding your college eligibility in May, you sought to avoid the consequences of that determination through litigation rather than accepting responsibility for your actions, and you pursued entry into the NFL only after abandoning those efforts.” It doesn’t seem like the NFL was very interested in Brendan Sorsby’s supplemental draft storyline existing, so they simply decided not to let it awaken here. Where this leaves Sorsby this year is up for debate, but seemingly this ends the NFL storyline for the 2026 season barring more litigation.

The person is quoted as saying the Jets “don’t want to deal with it.” Sorsby will probably be picked in the NFL’s supplemental draft, but considering how late he’s going to finally walk in the building, it wouldn’t be surprising if it were a team that could afford a redshirt year rather than a team with a legitimate hole at the position like the Jets or Browns. Jets coach Aaron Glenn deflected a question about Sorsby earlier this week, saying that he’s “focused on the guys that we have here now.”

Solak is among the NFL analysts identifying the Cardinals as a prime landing spot for Sorsby, who will enter the league’s supplemental draft after forgoing his final collegiate season following a sports betting scandal. The weak-armed Beck, selected by Arizona with the 65th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, would have little chance of holding off Sorsby this season if the Cards bring in Sorsby, who was graded by Pro Football Focus as the eighth best passer in the nation last year. In Arizona, the dual-threat Sorsby — he had 18 rushing touchdowns over his final two collegiate seasons — would have a real chance at fantasy relevance unless the Cardinals are intent on wasting an entire season with Jacoby Brissett under center.

Yates said Sorsby might have been taken as a top-10 draft pick in 2027 had he remained at Texas Tech this season instead of entering the NFL’s supplemental draft following his sports betting scandal. Yates mentioned the Jets, Cardinals, and Brown as potential suitors for Sorsby, though Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported on Tuesday that the Browns were “unlikely” to pursue Sorsby in the supplemental draft. Yates, who complimented Sorsby’s running ability and “moxy,” predicted Sorsby would be selected in the second round of the supplemental draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently guessed a team would part ways with a Day Three pick to land Sorsby. Sorsby in 2025 ranked eighth in PFF’s passing grades while posting the nation’s second lowest pressure to sack ratio. He ranked 106th in adjusted completion rate.

“With improvements in those areas as a senior in college, teams expected him to be in the first-round conversation in the 2027 draft class. But the gambling cloud hanging over his draft projection makes this an unprecedented situation. Is there enough time before July’s supplemental draft for teams to fully understand his recovery and mindset?” Brugler adds. Brugler’s been in the draft game for a long time and has a lot of sources, so we believe this carries some weight even if it wouldn’t be wildly surprising to see Sorsby selected in the second or third round of the supplemental draft. It’s clear that Sorsby has the tools to play in the NFL and also clear that gambling is a line that many franchises will refuse to cross, but it only takes one.

Most of the league-wide scuttlebutt on Sorsby as coaches get in front of microphones for the first time since it was announced he’ll try the supplemental draft has been negative or tepid. Todd Monken told reporters earlier in June that “I don’t think we’re in a position to want to go down that road,” when asked about Sorsby. Today, Aaron Glenn pretended he didn’t know what gambling was and Brian Schottenheimer said he has no opinion on Sorsby. We’ll see where he ends up, but it sure doesn’t look like it will be Cleveland.

Sorsby has been the subject of numerous legal battles within the NCAA ranks amidst a betting scandal this offseason. It appears as if he has decided to move on from the cyclone he created in favor of trying his hand at the professional level. The NFL will need to approve his eligibility first and foremost before a supplemental draft would be held, during which teams would submit blind bids for any approved players. That number would stand at one, if Sorsby is approved, but it provides an interesting wrinkle to an otherwise lackluster quarterback draft class in an offseason with no shortage of quarterback-needy teams. Widely considered a surefire first-round pick, and potentially the No. 1 overall pick, Sorsby should drum up significant interest in the coming month if he gains eligibility. Teams would bid on Sorsby with associated draft picks in the coming draft, sorted by round. A winning team would then forfeit that round’s pick in the following draft.