After a drawn-out legal process investigating his NCAA eligibility, the Brendan Sorsby saga took an unexpected turn earlier this week. The former Texas Tech quarterback, who had been embroiled in a gambling scandal, officially declared he would be entering the supplemental draft.
With the Jets perpetually seeking a long-term solution at the quarterback position, it’s only natural that they would be considered one of the likely candidates to try to land Sorsby. However, there are plenty of factors to weigh.
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Head coach Aaron Glenn was non-committal ahead of practice on Tuesday, saying he was “focused on the guys we have here now.” However, he conceded that he would probably discuss the matter with general manager Darren Mougey at some stage.
Let’s weigh the pros and cons.
Why the Jets should target Sorsby
The first reason why the Jets would immediately be a team everyone would expect to spring for a guy like Sorsby is obvious. They’ve been without a top-level quarterback of the future for such a long time that they will be compelled to consider anyone who scouts believe could become exactly that. Some experts believe with a good 2026 season, Sorsby could have made himself a potential 2027 first-round pick, and some even believe he would have been a first-round pick if he came out in April, but it is by no means unanimous.
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Most of the discussion has been centered around Sorsby’s off-field issues, but he brings plenty to the table in terms of his on-field abilities. He has a good arm, is a mobile running threat, and although he can be a gunslinger at times, he only threw five interceptions last season. His numbers showed year-over-year improvements across the board throughout his career, culminating in last season at Cincinnati where he threw 27 touchdown passes and led the Big 12 in passer rating and yards per attempt.
While the gambling issue is a concern, it’s worth noting that the NFL didn’t punish New England wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in similar circumstances a few years ago. Even if Sorsby does face any kind of punishment, it would probably only affect his rookie year, which shouldn’t interfere that much with his development timeline.
Why the Jets shouldn’t target Sorsby
Teams will no doubt seek to reassure themselves that Sorsby’s gambling will no longer be an issue for him, but it still has to give decision-makers pause. The Jets may not feel they can take the risk that they bring Sorsby in and he has further off-field issues that create a distraction.
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In addition, as desperate as they are for a long-term solution, the Jets can address that in next year’s draft, where they have the ammunition to potentially select a quarterback prospect who is rated higher than Sorsby is now, or would have been had he stayed at Texas Tech.
New York absolutely has a current need for a backup quarterback, but Sorsby doesn’t solve that issue because he’s no more established or NFL-ready than Cade Klubnik or Bailey Zappe. In fact, bringing him in could create a logjam that might make it harder to find room for a viable veteran reserve.
Statistically, Klubnik’s 2024 season was better than Sorsby’s was last year, and he was in a similar position entering 2025, where draft experts had suggested he could be a first-round pick if he had an even better year. As it turned out, Klubnik was banged-up and regressed, so the Jets were able to get him in the fourth round. That shows how college quarterbacks cannot necessarily be guaranteed to build on their performance in the previous season.
Klubnik’s presence on the Jets roster could also influence their thinking here, if the Jets believe he has a bright NFL future of his own. It’s not exactly a “we have Brendan Sorsby at home” situation, but adding Sorsby now could undermine any progress Klubnik has made so far.
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Conclusions
All things considered, the Jets will probably pass on the opportunity to land Sorsby because adding him could do more to muddy the waters at the quarterback position than it does to create clarity. Perhaps there will be a price-point at which they consider the value is too good to pass up, so they could bid a low pick, but it seems likely at least one team will give up more than the Jets are prepared to in order to land a possible day one talent.
The Jets don’t have to make a decision at this stage. The NFL Supplemental Draft will take place in about a month, ahead of which Sorsby will get a chance to impress teams. Even if the Jets are leaning toward letting someone else have Sorsby, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them do their due diligence by arranging a private workout.
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