NFL fans can probably best understand Harry Kane, the star England captain who has over 500 career goals, by thinking of Tom Brady.
That’s a paraphrase of our Jack Pitt-Brooke, who wrote a unique story on Kane’s dreams of playing in the NFL:
“The values that (Brady’s) story represents: determination, self-confidence, self-improvement, and above all the capacity to keep going, keep believing when written off by everyone else” are what resonated with Kane, explains Pitt-Brooke. “The point is not just that Brady was underrated, it was that he was written off.”
Former underdog Kane now ranks among the best goal scorers of his generation, or so I’m told by my well-informed peers. But could that translate to the other kind of football field?
The 32-year-old is totally serious about being the next Brandon Aubrey, actually. Aubrey, the Cowboys kicker, began his career as a soccer player for Toronto FC before becoming the highest-paid kicker in league history.
“It’s definitely possible,” Aubrey has told The Athletic about others following his path. “It’s just there’s only 32 jobs. So even if you have the ability, it’s trying to get somebody to give you an opportunity. That’s what took me the longest.”
Kane’s international stardom would certainly provide opportunity. But don’t expect him to rush. Because, like Brady long did, Kane continues to improve with age. Much more on his unique relationship with Brady here.
Inside: World Cup players include both huge NFL fans like Kane and an NFL son, plus the final (for now) Brendan Sorsby news.
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NFL declines supplement draft
As you’ve likely heard, the NFL denied Brendan Sorsby, the Cincinnati-to-Texas Tech transfer quarterback, an opportunity to join the league in 2026.
He had applied for entry via supplemental draft, a post-draft opportunity for prospects whose eligibility situations changed after the January deadline for the regular draft. A key word: “applied.”
Here’s a short list of reasons the league obliged some previous players by arranging supplemental drafts:
- 2012: Baylor dismissed Josh Gordon for a failed marijuana test.
- 2011: The NCAA suspended Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor as part of an investigation into improper benefits.
- 1998: The NCAA suspended Navy’s Mike Wahle after a positive test for steroids.
So why no supplemental draft this time? In a now-public letter, the league wrote to Sorsby, explaining the decision as partly involving too much information to parse in too short of a time frame. One paragraph:
“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 league instead encouraged the 22-year-old to apply for next spring’s seven-round draft. That annual event seems to have less stringent entry standards, since it’s already on the books and involves hundreds of players, not just one.
Approve or not, that’s how the league ends up with contrasts like this:
Sorsby has said he’s received treatment for a gambling addiction. Among his other admissions of breaking NCAA rules by gambling on sports, he’s acknowledged having bet on Indiana winning when he was nowhere near playing (at the time, he was a scout team quarterback without any on-field impact).
Meanwhile, in 2014, then-Oklahoma prospect Joe Mixon punched a woman in the face after she’d slapped him. He fractured four bones in her face, later explaining his actions by saying, “It felt like a dude hit me.”
Both Sorsby’s Indiana wagers and Mixon’s punch occurred years before their potential NFL debuts. Mixon entered the league through the front door (the April draft) when the Bengals picked him in the second round. Sorsby was denied entrance via the back door.
As for what’s next: Players cannot become undrafted free agents unless the draft for which they are eligible has completed, so Sorsby can’t sign with any NFL teams in the meantime.
“This is an unlawful act in violation of the CBA,” Sorsby’s lawyer Jeffrey Kessler told The Athletic. “The player is going to bring this to the NFLPA.”
The NFLPA might not offer much help, as Mike Jones explains. In a league where the balance of power is ever-tilting toward owners, the NFLPA needs all the wins it can get. I’m not sure this is a bet it wants to make.
Legendary father, impressive USMT star son
“I’ve never cried that much in my life.”
That was me on Saturday after my younger brother’s wedding. (Congrats Mark and Lexie!) It is also former Packers All-Pro receiver Antonio Freeman, who just watched his son Alex score for the USMNT at the World Cup.
“When I made those plays back in the day, I scored for a team. He scored for a country,” the elder Freeman told our Michael Silver, who wrote the story of Freeman’s unlikely journey. “To see the shots of people celebrating outside, and all over the country … and to see the excitement in the eyes of his teammates … man, it’s a lot to take in.”
Both Freemans will be at SoFi Stadium today for the U.S. match against Turkey at 10 p.m. ET.
The game might not matter for Freeman’s team advancing, since it moves on regardless of the result. I doubt that changes anything in the approach for the 21-year-old sensation, who has quickly emerged from his father’s shadow. More on Freeman’s path to soccer here.
TAFS: The ideal modern GM
Former Eagles executive Jake Rosenberg, who spent 12 years in Philadelphia, joined today’s episode of “The Athletic Football Show” to explain what a modern general manager actually does.
Host Robert Mays asked Jake to explain what “a primary football executive should be in 2026? What should the resume look like? What should the qualities look like?” Jake’s answer:
💬 “First and foremost, they need to be able to synthesize a lot of different data points. …
“I think the common perception about GM candidates and GMs are: great evaluators and scouts and the bird dogs. They’re sitting there finding players, and they’re the best at finding players.
“In my view, this is mistake No. 1 that most teams make. … This is a leadership role, first and foremost. Your job is to galvanize, organize, bring together, create processes to make a really successful, repeatable organization.”
Much more from Jake, including the role of ownership, in the full podcast. You can watch it here.
Extra Points
👀 Breakout Rams. The team’s current stars are obvious, but the next generation? Keep an eye on these three, a list with running back Blake Corum.
🔥 “Let it rip.” That was the advice given to six first-time play callers by established coaches. Great quotes from Sean Payton, Sean McVay and others in there.
🏗 New-look Browns. The remade receiver corps is already making waves this offseason, with rookie Denzel Boston considered possibly “the most impressive offensive player in the team’s spring sessions,” per beat reporter Zac Jackson.
📅 Training camp. The NFL announced dates and locations for all 32 teams. Details here.
▶️ Monday’s most-clicked: What we learned from every team during offseason workouts.
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