Not that they’re scared of a little drama, but the Dallas Cowboys can thank the NFL for helping them avoid a potentially uncomfortable situation thanks to commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision not to hold a supplemental draft for Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby in July.
The Cowboys would have been 1 of a handful of teams where the pressure would have ratcheted up at an unfortunate time — the weeks before training camp — when distractions should be at an absolute minimum.
With a soon-to-be 33-year-old starting quarterback in Dak Prescott getting paid $60 million per year and yet to even make an NFC Championship Game in a decade as a starter, the questions about Sorsby would have been front and center for the next month leading up to his workouts and the supplemental draft itself.
Instead, Sorsby’s been told to cool his heels until the 2027 NFL draft by Goodell & Co. over what 1 source said were “core of the game and integrity issues.”
Brendan Sorsby College FB’s Biggest Offseason Story
Sorsby was already projected as a potential 1st-round pick in 2027 after spending his 1st 4 seasons at Indiana and Cincinnati before leaving for a reported 1-year, $6 million NIL deal with Texas Tech for 2026.
The Red Raiders are coming off their 1st conference championship since 1994 and 1st College Football Playoff appearance in 2025.
“Quarterback Brendan Sorsby will not play in the NFL in 2026, as the league has elected not to hold a supplemental draft,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Adam Schefter wrote on June 23. “The NFL’s decision came down to its right to decide whether to hold a supplemental draft, per the collective bargaining agreement, as league officials said they believed it would ultimately become a distraction to teams as they begin training camps … Sorsby admitted to betting thousands of times on college and pro sports, bets that totaled upward of $90,000 and included 40 wagers on Indiana football while he was on the team.”
The NCAA banned Sorsby for gambling, but Texas Tech went to court to get their star back on the field, and a Texas district court judge granted him a temporary injunction on June 8. That would have allowed Sorsby to play in 2026.
After several days of across-the-board condemnation, including several schools mulling boycotts of games against Texas Tech, Sorsby left the school and declared his intention to enter the supplemental draft.
“Your Petition — filed three business days before the deadline, without any supporting information or documentation, and only after abandoning your recent litigation efforts to avoid NCAA sanctions — does not provide a basis for the League to alter those plans,” the NFL wrote in its letter to Sorsby informing him of its decision.
NFL Writer Singled Out Cowboys as Possible Match
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer singled out the Cowboys as a possible match for Sorsby at the beginning of June, when the NCAA initially declared him ineligible.
“There’s also the other piece of this: Dak Prescott will turn 34 next summer, has been banged up, and the time could be coming to put an heir apparent into the pipeline,” Breer wrote. “If you’re Dallas, would you throw a second- or third-round supplemental pick out there this summer for Brendan Sorsby, should he declare? It’s worth thinking about, anyway.”
Prescott has suffered 2 season-ending injuries that required surgery in the last 6 seasons: a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle in 2020, which cost him 11 games, and hamstring surgery in 2024 that cost him 9 games.
Potential Cowboys QB Dilemma Solved by NFL Ruling