Brendan Sorsby's long and messy road to the NFL finally has some clarity. The league, the NFLPA, and Sorsby himself have reached a settlement, and the picture is now a lot cleaner than it looked a week ago.

NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero broke the news on Tuesday, June 30.

"The NFL, NFLPA and Brendan Sorsby have reached a settlement, resolving any claims stemming from the league's decision not to hold a supplemental draft and making Sorsby eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft, with no additional discipline for any prior conduct," Pelissero posted on X.

The NFL confirmed it will not discipline Sorsby for the g******* conduct already on record, though it does retain the right to investigate anything beyond what's currently public, per ESPN.

Sorsby put out a statement shortly after.

"I accept 100% responsibility for my actions," he said. "I did not have control of my gambling problem, and it took getting caught for me to realize that. I am fully committed to being the best version of myself that I can be while getting ready for the 2027 draft. God makes no mistakes."

To understand how we got here, the story goes back to April, when Texas Tech Red Raiders announced Sorsby had entered a residential g******* rehab facility in Arizona. The NCAA ruled him ineligible, a Texas judge granted him a temporary injunction in June. But then the Big 12 filed in federal court against both Sorsby and Texas Tech.

That's when Sorsby pulled out of college football entirely and applied for the 2026 supplemental draft. The NFL then announced on June 23 that it would not hold one. That decision effectively kept Sorsby out of football for all of 2026.

"Mr. Sorsby will be considered a draft-eligible player for the 2027 NFL Draft," the memo read, per ESPN. "Mr. Sorsby will not be eligible to sign an NFL Player Contract until the completion of the 2027 NFL Draft."

Under the settlement terms, Sorsby will be allowed to take part in the Senior Bowl, pro day, and team visits in the lead-up to the 2027 draft, just like any other eligible prospect.

The settlement draws a line under the legal side of things, but the football challenge ahead is real.

Brendan Sorsby faces a much tougher test in 2027

Sorsby now enters a 2027 quarterback class that analysts already consider well above average.

Arch Manning, Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers, and CJ Carr are all expected to be in the mix at quarterback. In 2026, only two quarterbacks went in the first two rounds. Next year, that number is expected to be much higher.

CBS Sports analyst Ryan Wilson still sees first-round potential in Sorsby.

"He has a big arm," wrote Wilson. "The athleticism shows up both on tape and in the numbers. He pushes the ball downfield as well as anyone in the class, consistently creating explosive plays without sabotaging drives with sacks or reckless decisions."

But scouts will be working entirely off his 2025 Cincinnati tape, which showed he can start in this league, but also had real accuracy issues.

Do you think Sorsby can still make an impact in the 2027 NFL Draft? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar