Brendan Sorsby will not be playing in the NFL in 2026, the league made perfectly clear on Tuesday by not only deciding not to hold a supplemental draft — Sorsby was the only applicant — but also by means of the league's scathing letter that excoriated Sorsby's actions that led to his collegiate suspension.
The message was clear: the league wants no parts of Sorsby and his history of gambling, and if he plays at all, it'll be with the league's begrudging acceptance in 2027.
So if Sorsby wants to play football between now and the 2027 NFL Draft what are his options?
Brendan Sorsby, Cincinnati Athletics
While Texas Tech has given up the ship when it comes to Sorsby's fight against the NCAA, in the face of the Big 12 deciding to come down on the Red Raiders in the form of threatening championship game eligibility and their games being on television.
Maybe not every conference would feel the same way. If the court system says the NCAA can't stop Sorsby from playing, and the hindrance to him playing at Texas Tech is the Big 12, would some lower-level league find it worthwhile to allow him to participate, and cash in on the revenue and notoriety that would follow a top draft pick unexpectedly playing in a lower league?
It's possible, if somewhat unlikely.
Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers takes the snap in the first quarter against West Virginia during a NCAA football game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022. — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The NCAA isn't the only game in town. When Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was ruled ineligible for gambling in 2022, he ended up finishing his college career by playing at the JUCO level for Iowa Western Community College.
Dekkers led IWCC to an 11-2 record, and they finished second in the country at that level. He was not selected in the 2025 NFL Draft , and he signed with the New Orleans Saints as a UDFA.
In addition to JUCO football, there's also the NAIA level, a step below the NCAA for four-year colleges. While the NAIA generally upholds NCAA suspensions, Sorsby's legal limbo might give the league an out if it wants to let Sorsby in. Technically, right now, his suspension from the NCAA has been lifted via the temporary injunction he received — if someone wanted to read the situation charitably.
Nov 16, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Montreal Alouettes wide receiver Tyson Philpot (6) is tackled by Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. (33) during the third quarter during the 112th Grey Cup Championship at Princess Auto Stadium. — Bruce Fedyck / Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
While the NFL has closed its doors, that's not the beginning and the end of professional football. Sorsby could look north of the border for a shot at pro ball in the CFL . While suspended NFL players can no longer play in the CFL, Sorsby's in-between status should make him eligible to play in Canada.
The only problem is that the 2026 CFL season is already underway, with Week 3 just taking place last weekend. Sorsby would also need to secure a work visa — a process that isn't always swift.
Many Canadian teams have established multi-year starters in place. Would a team be willing to jettison their quarterback a few weeks into the season to take a shot on Sorsby instead? I'm a little skeptical, but it's at least possible. Maybe some team will fall out of contention and try to cash in on some notoriety for a few games.
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Kenny Robinson (left) at training camp on July 30, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
We're pretty clear on what UFL owner Mike Repole would like to see happen.
"Welcome to the UFL, Brendan Sorsby ," he posted on X on Tuesday , hours after the news broke that Sorsby had been denied by the NFL.
Repole posted a photoshopped image of Sorsby in an Arlington Renegades uniform. At least he had the presence of mind to not make it a Houston Gamblers uniform.
It's not unheard of for a college player to make the transition to the NFL with a stop in spring pro ball in between. Former Steelers safety Kenny Robinson found himself ineligible at West Virginia for the 2019 season. Instead of transferring and sitting out a season — remember when that was a thing? — or waiting around for the 2020 NFL Draft , Robinson signed in the XFL to play in the spring of 2020.
He played in all five games for the St. Louis BattleHawks in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the league on April 10. Two weeks later, the Carolina Panthers selected him in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
It's not clear what Robinson's plans were, but if the XFL season hadn't been postponed, he very well could have been playing a game on the day his name was called in the draft.
While Robinson was a late-round pick, the chaos of having a potentially highly ranked quarterback playing in live games in the weeks leading up to the draft, or even during the draft itself could be fantastic cinema for NFL Draft watchers — and a financial boon for the oft-struggling spring league.
Of course, would that mean that Sorsby would abandon his UFL team the minute his name was called? There's a lot to be worked out there. But man, it'd be fun to watch.
Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby talks to coaches during the spring football game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium. — USA TODAY Network / Imagn ImagesCredit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Sorsby has allegedly completed an in-patient rehab stint to deal with his gambling addiction, a process that his legal representatives say is complete.
Maybe it is, maybe it is — addictions are rarely so tidy — but the public perception of Sorsby right now is that he's attempting to get beyond his misdeeds without really paying the price for them.
Sorsby knew he bet on college football games and he knew he'd gotten away with it for a while. He could have entered the 2026 NFL Draft during regular eligibility, when it would have been much tougher for the NFL to deny him a spot.
Instead, he pursued a $6 million NIL deal in the transfer portal at Texas Tech. Sorsby would likely have been a late first or early second-round pick if he'd come out this spring. Greed and hubris drove him to not only seek the payday at Texas Tech, but also bet — figuratively this time — that he could boost that draft stock even further with a strong season with a national title contender in Lubbock.
Spending an entire year away from football would be quite damaging to Sorsby's stock as a football prospect. He probably would not be drafted in the same place in 2027 that he would have been in 2026 if that's the route he takes.
But football isn't the only factor here. Sorsby has shown unbelievably poor decision-making for someone that wants to be a NFL franchise's key on-field decision-maker. His draft stock in 2027 will not just be about his play, but whether teams see him as a continued risk.
When Sean Payton was suspended by the NFL for the 2012 season for the Saints' Bountygate scandal, he certainly could have found a job coaching at a very high level in college football or in another professional league. He also could have taken a high-profile media gig. Instead, he spent the season as the offensive coordinator for his son's sixth-grade team in Texas.
I'm not saying Payton's motivation was purely image rehab, but it is a good example of the kind of work Sorsby could do to repair his standing in the eyes of NFL decision-makers and fans to make everyone feel a little bit better about calling his name next April.
None of these options are without significant downsides for Sorsby, but that's the position that he's put himself in. The good news is that none of them are the end of the road, either. Gambling is sports' one cardinal sin — the one thing that can ruin the game for everyone, and not just harm the perpetrator and his team. But there's nothing that NFL teams need more than strong quarterback play. If Sorsby can continue to show that in some form or fashion, while convincing the league and the public that he's worth a second chance, he'll get it.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Saunders: What's Next for Brendan Sorsby after NFL Banishment?
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