Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby intends to enter the supplemental draft, potentially ending a lengthy and whirlwind saga surrounding the 22-year-old prospect.
Sorsby initially had been ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA after admitting to extensive gambling violations that included betting on his own team when he was at Indiana. Just last week, however, a judge in Lubbock, Texas, barred the NCAA from preventing Sorsby from playing. Sorsby then was expected to serve a two-game suspension to open Texas Tech’s season.
Now, instead, he’ll apply for the NFL Supplemental Draft. He’ll still need to be approved by the league for eligibility; the window to officially enter the supplemental draft closes on June 22.
The league last held a supplemental draft in 2023 (no players were selected), and the last player taken via the supplemental draft was Jalen Thompson in 2019 by Arizona. A QB has not been selected since Terrelle Pryor in 2011.
The NFL Supplemental Draft order is divided into three tiers:
1. Teams with six or fewer wins
2. The rest of the non-playoff teams
3. The 14 playoff teams
The order of each group is randomly selected. If a team is interested in drafting a prospect, they place a bid on that player in a certain round. If multiple teams submit bids on a player in the same round, the team picking first in the order is awarded the player.
Here’s a look at some of the NFL teams that could have interest in Sorsby:
New York Jets
If the Jets want Sorsby, there’s a solid chance the Jets will be able to get Sorsby. New York has, by a decent margin, more 2027 NFL Draft capital than any other team, including a whopping three firsts. They hold both the Cowboys’ and Colts’ opening-round selection next spring.
When New York first began bulking up on draft picks last fall, conventional wisdom said it would be in great position to make a run at the 2027 draft’s top QB, be it Arch Manning, Dante Moore or someone else. The Jets are in group 1 (teams with fewer than six wins the previous season) of the supplemental draft order, and several of the other organizations in that bucket — Las Vegas, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Washington — have apparent franchise quarterbacks in place.
Would this make sense?
Yes, but only if New York believes Sorsby is a can’t-miss prospect, which is a pretty tough case to make.
The Jets have four quarterbacks (Geno Smith, rookie Cade Klubnik, Bailey Zappe, Brady Cook) on their roster right now, although not one of them is going to scare a single NFL defensive coordinator this season. The Jets did just invest a fourth-round pick in Klubnik, however.
It’s debatable as to whether or not Sorsby is a better prospect than Klubnik today. They’re both 22 years old, and Klubnik’s college career was equal to, or more impressive than, Sorsby’s. Klubnik also doesn’t come with the off-field baggage Sorsby is currently carrying. New York has a chance to see what Klubnik can give the franchise this year, and if that’s nothing, it’ll still be in a great spot to take a talent at the top of the 2027 draft.
Arizona Cardinals
After spending several years in a bit of QB purgatory with Kyler Murray, the Cardinals are now officially in QB hell, with zero firm answers on their roster. I have a tough time seeing Carson Beck (the team’s third-round pick) being better than either Jacoby Brissett or Gardner Minshew in camp, although any quarterback will benefit from having running back Jeremiyah Love, the team’s pick at No. 3 this April.
If there’s a tier for NFL teams at the very beginning of a rebuild, the Cardinals would be in it. What separates Arizona from some of the others in that spot, however, is the fact Arizona is a bit more strapped for future draft capital — it currently has all seven of its standard picks for next year, but that’s it.
Would this make sense?
Yes, if Arizona can get Sorsby using a mid-round pick. If I’m the Cardinals, I’m not sure I’d give up more than a fourth for him, especially after just using a third-round selection on Beck (which I believe was a reach). This isn’t dissimilar to the Klubnik situation in New York, though, in that the Cardinals already have a young passer they like. Spending valuable capital on another youngster, especially one in Sorsby’s current situation, could be tough.
That said, Arizona should play the game a bit here, because Sorsby is a better prospect than Beck. Arizona could be in position to snag a guy at the top of the 2027 draft, but there are no promises. Bidding a Day 3 pick on Sorsby could make sense.
Cleveland Browns
Speaking of quarterback hell, the Browns have been the host family for a while now. The Deshaun Watson saga continues to roll on, as Cleveland appears set to give him another shot to start in 2026 before he becomes a free agent next summer. After this season, Cleveland will finally be able to start freeing itself from Watson’s disastrous contract.
Cleveland is also set to have a solid amount of draft capital again in 2027, including its own pick in the first, second and third rounds, three fourth-rounders and two fifths. The Browns already have as many young quarterback options on their roster as any other team — Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and 2026 sixth-rounder Taylen Green are all expected in camp this summer.
Would this make sense?
It’s a no for me. The Browns have already spent three draft picks over the past two years on quarterbacks, all of whom are almost certainly destined for backup careers (at best).
Sorsby is a better quarterback prospect today than any of those three youngsters were on their respective draft days, but I’m not 100 percent sure that’d be the case now, especially since Gabriel and Sanders have earned NFL starts. New Cleveland coach Todd Monken told reporters this week that Sorsby’s unresolved situation is a “slippery slope” and he likes “the quarterbacks we have.”
Cleveland has a chance to get Watson off the roster next year and make a move for a legitimate starter at the top of the draft. I’d keep my focus on that.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have been firmly on the veteran quarterback mercenary train since giving up on Kenny Pickett two seasons after taking him in the first round (2022). After riding with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in 2024, Pittsburgh signed Aaron Rodgers for 2025 and brought the 42-year-old back in 2026 for what’s expected to be the future Hall of Famer’s final season.
None of this is to say Pittsburgh has bypassed future investments at the position. Quite the contrary. The Steelers took former Ohio State national champion Will Howard in the sixth round in 2025, before taking ex-Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round this April. Howard feels more like a long-term NFL backup, but Allar has all the physical tools to be a future starter. On the field and in reality, though, he’s very raw and might need multiple years of development to be starter-ready — if he ever gets there.
Would this make sense?
It might. Pittsburgh’s 2027 draft capital situation is similar to that of Arizona; the Steelers currently have a pick (including multiple seventh-rounders) in every round but the sixth. Unless Rodgers changes his mind (which, it’s Aaron Rodgers … ), Pittsburgh likely will need a new starter for 2027. Mike McCarthy has already admitted that Allar, while talented, is basically a teardown rebuild after playing in a Penn State offense that rarely made sense for him.
Sorsby would hardly be entering this situation without warts. From a football standpoint, however, it’s possible that after a hypothetical year of working behind Rodgers, he’d be more ready than Allar or Howard for the job in 2027. This also shouldn’t be your normal forward-thinking QB-needy situation, as Pittsburgh believes it still has a playoff roster right now.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins ate an NFL-record $99.2 million to get out of Tua Tagovailoa’s contract (Miami will pay Tagovailoa $54 million to play in Atlanta this season) and has moved into what could be a bridge situation with Malik Willis. Willis has started just six NFL games in four seasons and has never been a full-time starter, but he was impressive enough during relief stints in Green Bay to entice new Miami head coach Jeff Hafley.
He is on a three-year, $67.5 million deal in Miami, with a potential out after the 2027 season. The Dolphins also have one of the NFL’s more crowded quarterback rooms in terms of youth, as Miami spent two Day 3 picks on quarterbacks in 2025 (Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller), then added former Iowa passer Mark Gronowski as an undrafted free agent this spring.
Would this make sense?
Not really. Miami’s plan under Hafley and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan seems to be setting up for a full rebuild. Miami did score a haul of draft picks for trading Jaylen Waddle to Denver, but all of them were 2026 selections.
Miami is in position to potentially use the next two drafts to bulk up Hafley’s defense before making a long-term decision on Willis (or someone else). I’m not sure giving up a pick for Sorsby, with plenty of young QB projects already on the roster, makes much sense.
New Orleans Saints
For now, the Saints will move forward with second-year quarterback Tyler Shough, their second-round pick in 2025. The 26-year-old Shough had promising stretches in nine starts last season, particularly down the stretch. He was generally accurate and decisive with the football, finishing the year with a .19 EPA/dropback in nine starts, which ranked in the top 10 among quarterbacks with at least nine starts.
Frankly, Shough played like a first-round pick as a rookie. There were reasons he went in the second round, though, including his age and the fact he suffered three severe injuries in college (two broken collarbones and a broken leg). New Orleans also still has talented young backup Spencer Rattler on the roster, and it brought former first-rounder Zach Wilson into the building this summer.
Would this make sense?
Maybe. As a roster, the Saints are closer to Pittsburgh than the rest of the teams on this list — they’re talented enough to surprise some people this year, especially if Shough plays the way he did late last year.
Sorsby is probably as talented as Shough was when he entered the draft last spring. If the Saints want to hedge their bet — and feel they might be able to get Sorsby with a mid-round pick — it could turn into a productive investment.