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Brendan Sorsby generating NFL interest, but teams should avoid him
Brendan Sorsby. Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brendan Sorsby generating NFL interest, but teams should stay far away from the controversial QB

One would think NFL teams wouldn't want to touch quarterback Brendan Sorsby with a 10-foot pole, but somehow, he's on the league's radar. 

Sorsby agreed to part ways with the Texas Tech Raiders on Monday and plans to enter the NFL supplemental draft before the deadline on June 22. This comes after the Big 12 threatened legal action against Texas Tech for helping the QB restore his eligibility after an NCAA investigation found him guilty of sports gambling. 

The league must approve Sorsby's paperwork to hold a supplemental draft, which it hasn't done since 2023. If it does, the league will hold a lottery (similar to the NBA) to determine the order. Teams would then bid on the QB, using rounds, based on the seven rounds in the NFL Draft, as offers. The highest bid wins, and the determined order breaks ties. 

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken made it clear he doesn't want to add Sorsby, saying the team doesn't "want to go down that road." Other teams, however, may be willing to. 

Cincinnati Bearcats HC Scott Satterfield says NFL teams have contacted him about Brendan Sorsby 

"There certainly have been scouts," Satterfield, who coached Sorsby from 2024-25, said Tuesday, per Keegan Knickoson of 247Sports. "[General managers] have reached out and are just asking questions on a more personal level, probably more than the football level, with their interest, knowing that potentially something like this could happen. I certainly think now that the news is out, over the next few weeks, there's going to be a lot more inquiries about him, and trying to find more and about him, and be able to take a chance to, if any of them take him."

NFL teams are willing to overlook potential red flags when scouting intriguing QB prospects. Sorsby's issue, however, is can't be ignored. 

Sorsby didn't place just a few bets. He placed at least 40 wagers on the Indiana Hoosiers from 2022-23 while serving as a backup QB. (He maintains he never bet on games he played in.) He kept gambling on sports at Cincinnati, including the school's men's basketball team. 

Sorsby attended a 35-day program at a rehab center in Goodyear, Arizona, to treat his addiction. Still, it's extremely difficult for gambling addicts to stop even after they've received treatment. 

Look at former Ohio State Buckeyes QB Art Schlichter. He went to a rehab center in 1983 after admitting to betting on 10 NFL games during his rookie season with the Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis Colts) in 1982. After the NFL reinstated him in 1984, he relapsed, ruining his career. The league didn't reinstate him in 1987, two years after the Colts released him, following several legal issues concerning his gambling. 

Remember, there were no sports betting apps in the 1980s. Their prevalence makes it much harder for Sorsby and other recovering gambling addicts to overcome the problem.

And what about his play? Does it look like that of a first-round pick? ESPN analyst/former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky thinks so, but that's debatable.

Sorsby (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) failed to impress against elite competition and struggled with accuracy in 2025. Per ESPN, he completed an abysmal 51 percent of his passes against Associated Press Top 25 teams last season. The QB ranked 10th in the Big 12 among 14 passers in completion percentage (61.6 percent). 

Franchises are showing interest in Sorsby, but they should stay away from the polarizing QB. He's not worth the risk. 

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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