While they were floated as a logical destination, the New York Jets may not be a serious contender for Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby in the NFL supplemental draft.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini cited a source who said the Jets “don’t want to deal with it” after the saga that unfolded in Lubbock, Texas. While a judge opened the door Sorsby to play another year of college ball, he opted to move onto the pros.
Cimini added that he’s generating a range of opinions in terms of his value as a prospect. Some see him as a first-round talent, while others suggested he would’ve declared for the 2026 draft if that were the case.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Sunday on SportsCenter that some teams “are really excited about this particular player”:
“He’s an effortless thrower. He’s a big athlete. There are teams that are going to look hard at putting in a bid for him, putting in a draft pick in the supplemental draft, which should be sometime in July. The question is, how much compensation do you give up? The early consensus I get is he could be worth a second-round pick in this process. You typically don’t see first-round picks in the supplemental draft; it’s a lot to give up. Now, you have the usual suspects, like the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns, who have multiple first-round picks to play with. Do they get involved? I’m also looking at some sleepers, teams that have an established quarterback but could use somebody a year or two down the road, like Philadelphia, Tampa Bay with their Baker Mayfield contract situation. So, there are a lot of teams that are intrigued. There’s going to be some action here in the next month for sure.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport both reported earlier this week that Sorsby could be a second-rounder:
That would require the team picking him to forfeit its second-rounder in the 2027 NFL draft.
In his two years as a starter at Cincinnati, Sorsby threw for 5,613 yards, 45 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also showed some mobility, running for 1,027 yards and 18 scores.
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic spoke to one NFL scout who said Sorsby would’ve leapfrogged Ty Simpson in this year’s draft while grading him as a second-rounder.
“Really loved him,” the scout said. “He’s very talented. Got a big-time arm. High ceiling.”
However, one college defensive coordinator praised Sorsby’s raw talent while saying he “has underachieved” and “could be so much better if he worked at the leadership part of the position.”
A personnel director at a Big 12 school told Feldman they noticed “just some bad things, some strange losses and some clunker performances” when looking at the tape.
Purely in terms of need, the Jets would seemingly be near the top of the list of Sorsby.
New York is headed into the 2026 season with Geno Smith as its starter, and that’s clearly a short-term solution. It invested a fourth-round pick in Cade Klubnik, but the former Clemson standout doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence after he failed to meet expectations in college.
In Sorsby, the Jets would have a new, better alternative beyond 2026 if they took the plunge. They may instead remain focused on evaluating the likely candidates for the 2027 draft.
