Very rarely do I verge out of the lane of ethical sports journalism into straight-up editorial, but this was one moment that required it: the idea being put out there into the ether to Pittsburgh Steelers fans that the team should bring-in former Cincinnati and Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Instead of just calling ‘BS’ on all the outlets fully pushing Sorsby to Pittsburgh as a forgone conclusion, I’ll at least do due diligence in pointing out why the move would be pure insanity.
Key factors stacked against Sorsby, Steelers connection
The Steelers have a crowded quarterback room with Aaron Rodgers, veteran Mason Rudolph, and young developmental pieces in Will Howard (2025 draft pick) and Drew Allar (2026 third-round pick). They are not desperate for immediate help at the position and have invested in high-upside, lower-risk young talent to develop behind Rodgers with Mike McCarthy’s staff highly involved. That is one quarterback more than NFL team’s typically carry into a season unless there are serious concerns about their top two QBs. There are already questions about whether Allar or Howard may end up stashed on I/R, and the team hasn’t even been to training camp, yet.
Sorsby admitted to over 9,000 bets totaling at least $90,000, including dozens on his own team (Indiana) as a freshman. This is a massive issue for NCAA football, let alone the NFL, which takes gambling integrity extremely seriously. That makes Sorsby a tainted player, a potential case of buyer’s remorse, when such significant risk of league punishment, distraction, or – heaven forbid – recidivism despite his rehabilitation could occur.
The Steelers organization has historically been cautious with high-character risk players. And they have had a number of them. In McCarthy’s first year as head coach, stepping on the toes of a franchise’s standard is unlikely to boost his job approval rate.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, an outlet I respect even if I don’t always agree with, agrees that fans should not expect the Steelers to enter the arena to make a bid of Sorsby. Gerry Dulac wrote, “don’t expect the Steelers to be interested.”
Supplemental draft mechanics are yet another factor. It’s a bid process with a lottery-based order. The Steelers would select in the third, and final, group of teams. Even if interested, the Steelers might not win the opportunity to select Sorsby. Rolling the dice for a position they don’t need filled for a high-risk player is a steep gamble.
Why the hype, then?
To be fair, Sorsby has an upside; he has a big arm, athleticism/dual-threat ability, size (6-3, 235 lbs), and was viewed by some scouts as a potential Day 1-2 talent (mid-first to second-round range) if eligible for the regular 2026 or 2027 draft. Sorsby has swagger, processing flashes, and downfield ability.
Sorsby also has inconsistency, pocket discipline issues, and the massive off-field overhang lowering his floor dramatically. It’s not a “can’t-miss” prospect that overrides the risks.
The hype, dare I say, is an observed combination of things: fans who are unhappy that Rodgers returned, sports writers who are uninspired because it is June (and they “gotta put out that content”), and NFL pundits who can’t seem to not try to push fantastical ideas. Call it the need to be right, or offer instant gratification, or just a dopamine hit – rumors and speculation grab attention. It doesn’t have to make sense; it just has to create hype.
The bottom line
Should the Steelers actually entertain the idea, I think it would be a mistake. That is my prerogative as a long-time reporter on the team. Can I be wrong? Absolutely. Someone sitting in the office with Bob Labriola could be as right or wrong as I am.
You can’t ignore that fact that the Steelers, historically, don’t mortgage away their future on one individual. There have been swings and misses when it came to personnel, but not often. Sorsby is a boom-or-bust quarterback with baggage the team doesn’t need to carry.
Rodgers is a competent bridge to help transition Howard and Allar for future play and doesn’t require Pittsburgh to take their eyes off of developing a winning team in order to do risk-assessment on an individual.
To ignore everything that has been put in play – from free agency to the draft to offseason workouts and training camp prep – to bring-in Sorsby would be pure insanity. And I’ll stick with that assessment.