Brendan Sorsby Granted Injunction; QB Retains 2026 NCAA Eligibility
Previous updates in the case of quarterback Brendan Sorsby increasingly pointed to him participating in the NFL’s supplemental draft. That will not be taking place this summer, however.
Sorsby’s legal team has been granted an injunction by a judge in Lubbock, Texas, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports. As a result, he is set to retain his NCAA eligibility for the 2026 season. Today’s unexpected development means Sorsby will not need to declare for the supplemental draft and instead enter the NFL under traditional circumstances next April.
[RELATED: NCAA Appeals Sorsby Injunction]
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger notes a condition of the injunction is that Sorsby will miss the first two games of Texas Tech’s season this fall. That was offered by his representatives as part of their efforts to work out a suspension allowing him to play in 2026. The NCAA expectedly shut down attempts by Sorsby’s camp and Texas Tech in recent days to work out a deal on this front. That seemed to set up one of the more interesting supplemental drafts in recent NFL history, but Sorsby’s attention will instead turn to preparation for another college season.
During his freshman year at Indiana, Sorsby placed numerous bets on the Hoosiers. No wagers were placed on games in which Sorsby played, but those bets – along with a high volume of others – represented a clear violation of the NCAA’s rules related to wagering. A lifetime ban was widely expected by many observers in this case, something which would have left the supplemental draft as Sorsby’s only path to the NFL. Now, though, the Red Raiders will have their QB1 for the coming season on an NIL deal worth roughly $6MM.
Some evaluators viewed Sorsby as a first-round prospect based on performances at Cincinnati over the past two years. The 2027 class is seen as being much stronger than 2026’s at the QB position in particular, but Sorsby could cement his status as a valuable passer leading up to the spring with a season free of further controversy. Sorsby entered a treatment program for a gambling addiction earlier this offseason.
As noted by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, today’s injunction also includes the condition that Sorsby continue receiving treatment for his gambling addiction along with anxiety (something noted in his original filing for an injunction). Sorsby will also be required to attend gambler’s anonymous meetings in addition to his suspension to open the season. Nevertheless, this news marks a surprise which will leave him on track to enter the NFL draft as part of the 2027 class.
QB Jacoby Brissett Will Report To Cardinals’ Minicamp
Jacoby Brissett was absent through the voluntary portion of the Cardinals’ offseason program. No contract resolution has been reached in this case, but attendance for mandatory work is expected.
Brissett will report to the team for this week’s mandatory minicamp, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss and Jeremy Fowler report. Doing so will ensure he avoids fines which are guaranteed for any players who skip out on the June practices. The extent to which Brissett will participate over the coming days is still unclear, to no surprise.
[RELATED: Marvin Harrison Jr. Not Fully Recovered From 2025 Injuries]
Throughout the spring, the veteran quarterback has sought a contract adjustment reflecting his status as Arizona’s 2026 starter. The Cardinals added Gardner Minshew in free agency and drafted Carson Beck in the third round, but Brissett is set to begin the coming season atop the depth chart. As things stand, the 33-year-old is set to earn $4.88MM in salary on the final year of his deal; $1.5MM of that figure is guaranteed.
As of May, negotiations on an extension between Brissett and the Cardinals had not yielded much in the way of progress. Weinfuss and Fowler add an agreement is not expected to be finalized in time for the start of minicamp. Brissett’s attendance will therefore ensure fines of up to $108K will not be coming his way, but it is unlikely to lead to a breakthrough on the contract front.
Filling in for an injured Kyler Murray midway through the 2025 season, Brissett stabilized Arizona’s offense and remained the team’s QB1 even when Murray was healthy. The former No. 1 pick was expectedly released this spring, positioning the Cardinals to pursue a new starter in the 2027 draft. Brissett’s track record in the NFL will make it challenging to secure any notable bumps in pay or new term on his deal, but his pact being worth less than Minshew’s would represent an awkward arrangement heading into the season.
This situation could still result in a trade being worked out, although a strong market does not exist for Brissett. His status will remain worth watching closely as the summer unfolds with the Cardinals’ next steps still unclear.
Chiefs To Sign CB L’Jarius Sneed
Veteran cornerback L’Jarius Sneed will return to Kansas City for a second stint. The Chiefs plan to sign the two-time Super Bowl champion, Jordan Schultz reports. It will be a one-year deal worth up to $5MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Sneed reunion comes just a few days after the Chiefs brought him in for a visit last week. The 29-year-old had been on the market since his disappointing Titans tenure ended with a mid-March release.
The Chiefs spent a 2020 fourth-round pick on Sneed, a Louisiana Tech product who quickly emerged as a steal. During his first run in Kansas City, Sneed started in 54 of 57 games, deflected 40 passes and hauled in 10 interceptions over four years. However, just over a month after the Chiefs knocked off the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, they dealt Sneed to the Titans in March 2024. Before working out a trade, the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Sneed to prevent him from hitting free agency. They ended up getting a 2025 third-round selection back in the deal, which also included a swap of 2024 seventh-rounders.
While Kansas City was not interested in making a long-term commitment to Sneed, Tennessee handed the 6-foot-1, 192-pounder a four-year, $76.4MM pact with $51.5MM in guarantees. The trade and the extension went down as regrettable moves for the Titans, who got just 12 appearances and zero picks from Sneed across two seasons. He dealt with quad and knee issues in both seasons, including during a seven-game showing in 2025.
Off the field, a grand jury indicted Sneed last November for failure to report a felony stemming from an alleged incident in December 2024. Those charges were dropped in early May, though, and Sneed is now heading back to Kansas City a month later.
Despite Sneed’s importance to their defense during his first four seasons, the Chiefs moved on fine at cornerback with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson taking over as starters from 2024-25. However, the Chiefs traded McDuffie to the Rams in a March blockbuster and then saw Watson follow him to Los Angeles in free agency. The Chiefs then made a major move to replace those two when they drafted top-rated corner Mansoor Delane sixth overall. If Delane starts as a rookie, Sneed, Nohl Williams and free agent pickup Kaiir Elam could be among the names competing for the job opposite him.
NCAA Appeals Brendan Sorsby Injunction
A Texas judge handed a stunning defeat to the NCAA on Monday, granting an injunction to Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby that keeps him eligible for the 2026 season. The NCAA has unsurprisingly appealed the decision, per Justin Williams of The Athletic, sending the case to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas.
Sorsby admitted to an extensive history of sports betting and entered a treatment facility for gambling addiction earlier this year. Between his own bets and bets placed by friends on his behalf, he has wagered over $130k in the last four years – two at Indiana and two at Cincinnati – including at least 40 bets placed on the Hoosiers’ football team while he was a member.
That was widely thought to be the kiss of death for Sorsby’s college career. The NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible and denied Texas Tech’s reinstatement request, leaving his lawsuit against the association as his last path to suiting up for the Red Raiders this year. The lawsuit itself would not be resolved before the season, so Sorsby sought an injunction to restore his eligibility as the legal process played out. He is entering his fifth and final college season, so winning the injunction could allow him to play this year and declare for the 2027 NFL Draft before the case is resolved and essentially escape punishment from the NCAA. The NCAA is seeking an “accelerated appeal,” on the injunction, per ESPN’s Max Olson, though there is no guarantee that it is resolved before the season.
Sorsby was not expected to succeed in the injunction hearing in Lubbock County District Court last week. He needed to show that he had a strong chance of eventually winning the lawsuit, and by his own admission, he broke the NCAA’s clear and inviolate gambling rules. His legal team argued that his diagnosed gambling and anxiety disorders made him protected under the NCAA’s constitution. The association contended that they did consider Sorsby’s mental health but it should not grant him an exception to the consequences of his gambling infractions which undermined the integrity of college sports.
Judge Ken Curry sided with Sorsby, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, ruling that he “demonstrated a probable right to relief on his claims.” He also wrote that the 22-year-old would “suffer a probable, imminent, and irreparable injury” if he cannot suit up for the Red Raiders this fall, citing Sorsby’s personal development, Texas Tech’s success, and his ability to “make an informed decision regarding whether or not to enter the 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft.”
The NCAA released a statement expressing their disagreement with the ruling and concern about “the damaging, far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome — which undermines and corrupts the integrity of sports.” Sorsby’s lead attorney Jeffrey Kessler called it a “just result,” noting that the two-game suspension that is part of the ruling was their original offer to the NCAA.
The rest of the college sports world was left stunned by the decision, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Other schools are already organizing their opposition, per Seth Emerson and Ralph E. Russo of The Athletic, with Nebraska and Georgia issuing mandates to their athletic programs to no longer schedule Texas Tech. Internal discussions about already-set matchups are ongoing. The Big Ten, of which Nebraska is a member, are expected to consider a conference-wide ban on scheduling Texas Tech in any sport, Thamel adds. Kansas State, who are in the same conference as Texas Tech, is having “serious discussions” about the situation, athletic director Gene Taylor said (via Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellinger), calling it “greater than the Big 12.”
Sorsby is now on track to play for the Red Raiders this season, which would take him out of the supplemental draft, though he could still consider that route. The NFL has set a June 22 deadline to enter the supplemental draft. If the NCAA wins their initial appeal before that date, he can still go pro this year. However, if he does not apply for the supplemental draft and loses that appeal – or a subsequent one to the Texas Supreme Court, per veteran NFL reporter Charles Robinson – after June 22, he may be forced to take a year away from the field and enter the 2027 NFL Draft.
If Sorsby’s saga were to twist back towards the NFL’s supplemental draft, he could go for a second-round pick, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. A successful year at Texas Tech could put him in the first-round range in 2027. But teams will still have significant questions about his betting history and commitment to his treatment for his mental health issues, which are also a term of the injunction. Talent often wins out, especially if Sorsby can show he has put his gambling behind him, but it could be a red flag clubs opt to avoid with a strong slate of quarterback prospects set to go pro next year.
Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Not Fully Recovered From 2025 Injuries
Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. missed five games last season due to a variety of ailments and ended the year on injured reserve. The 2024 No. 3 pick revealed at last week’s OTAs (via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss) that he is not yet at 100%, calling it “an ongoing process still.”
Harrison, 23, suffered a concussion and a bout of appendicitis in 2025, but indicated that heel injuries to both feet suffered at the end of the year were the lingering issue. He does not expect the problem to extend into the 2026 season.
The former Ohio State Buckeye and son of Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr. has not lived up to his pre-draft billing as one of the best receiver prospects in recent memory. He was dominant in back-to-back All-American campaigns to close his college career with 2,474 receiving yards (99.0 per game) and 29 total touchdowns. But in his first two NFL seasons, Harrison has amassed just 1,493 receiving yards (51.5 per game), and his eight rookie touchdowns were cut in half last year.
Harrison has also been somewhat limited by the Cardinals’ quarterback situation. Kyler Murray showed in 2024 that he was fully back from his 2022 torn ACL, but he struggled to hit a rhythm with his star rookie receiver. Last year, the two demonstrated a much-improved connection before Murray went down with a foot injury that ultimately ended his season. Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett averaged 280.5 yards per game over the rest of the season, but most of that yardage went to Trey McBride and Michael Wilson. Harrison, meanwhile, had as many games under 40 receiving yards as he did over in his six games before getting shut down.
Brissett is currently slated to continue as Arizona’s starter in 2026, but he has been seeking a raise to reflect that. The team has thus far been unwilling to play ball with veteran Gardner Minshew and third-round pick Carson Beck also in their quarterback room. They may have high hopes for Beck, but at the moment, none of the three profile as long-term franchise quarterbacks that can get the most out of Harrison.
Brandin Cooks Plans To Play In 2026
Despite a resume that includes 734 catches, 9,811 yards and 60 touchdowns, wide receiver Brandin Cooks‘ stock is down after a couple of underwhelming seasons. The 32-year-old has been stuck in free agency since the market opened in March, but he expects to take the field for a 13th season in 2026.
In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday, Cooks said there is “no question” he will play this year, adding he will “probably sign before camp.”
While Cooks didn’t indicate which teams have shown interest in him, the six-time 1,000-yard wideout was highly complimentary of Buffalo. Cooks ended 2025 with the Bills, who became his sixth team after the Saints waived him in November, and the sides were still in contact earlier in the offseason. It is unknown if the Bills remain open to re-signing Cooks after trading a second-round pick to the Bears for D.J. Moore and spending a fourth-rounder on rookie Skyler Bell.
Moore and slot target Khalil Shakir are atop the Bills’ depth chart at receiver, while they also count Bell, Josh Palmer, Keon Coleman, Mecole Hardman and Trent Sherfield among their healthy options. Tyrell Shavers‘ status is uncertain as he works back from the torn ACL he suffered in a 27-24 wild-card round win over the Jaguars in January.
Cooks happened to play an important role in the Bills-Jags wild-card game, as his 36-yard catch late in the fourth quarter helped set up the winning touchdown. He finished with three catches for 58 yards in that matchup, and he chipped in two more receptions for 20 yards in the divisional round in Denver. However, the 5-foot-10, 190-pounder’s inability to pull in a Josh Allen deep ball in overtime led to the Bills’ demise. Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian wrestled away what would have been a 43-yard reception for Cooks and turned it into an interception. The Bills could have lined up for the winning field had Cooks held on, but the Broncos took possession with the score tied at 30 and went down the field for a 33-30 victory.
Before the playoffs ended in bitter disappointment for Cooks, he trudged through the least productive regular season of his career. When the Saints cut him, he had just 19 receptions for 165 yards in 10 games. He went on to average a hefty 22.8 yards per grab in his five games with the Bills, but he only caught five passes along the way. Between the two teams, Cooks recorded 24 receptions, 279 yards and no touchdowns in 15 games. It was first time he failed to find the end zone in a season.
Cooks also logged subpar numbers during an injury-limited 2024 campaign in Dallas, where he had 26 catches for 259 yards and three scores over 10 games. Now part of a class of free agent receivers that still includes Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Deebo Samuel and Tyreek Hill, Cooks will have to settle for an inexpensive deal if he signs anywhere.
Steelers Move Focus To Joey Porter Jr. Extension
JUNE 8: While a deal may come together, it does not look imminent. The Steelers and Porter’s representatives have yet to engage in “serious discussions,” Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
JUNE 6: The Steelers signed tight end Darnell Washington and outside linebacker Nick Herbig to long-term extensions last week. Now, they have moved their focus to another member of their 2023 draft class: Joey Porter Jr.
The 25-year-old cornerback skipped voluntary OTAs and staged a ‘hold-in’ at mandatory minicamp with minimal participation in practice. Herbig took the same approach before reaching his four-year, $100MM agreement on Tuesday.
“I want to be out there,” Porter said (via Mike DeFabo of The Athletic). “Everybody knows I want to be out there. So I’m just doing everything I can and taking it day by day.”
Projections for a Porter extension range from $22MM to $30MM per season, according to DeFabo and Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show, a wide range encompassing the top two tiers of the cornerback market.
Trent McDuffie, Sauce Gardner, and Derek Stingley Jr. sit at or above a $30MM AAV, with Jaycee Horn at $25MM and DaRon Bland at $22.5MM, per OverTheCap. The Broncos bumped Patrick Surtain‘s pay by $5MM this year, with another $5MM available next year as a slight raise on his $24MM AAV deal. Porter’s teammate, Jalen Ramsey, earns $24.1MM per year, though he is not a direct comparison due to his converted safety status.
Porter took a significant step forward last season after an up-and-down, penalty-riddled first two seasons. Among qualified cornerbacks, he ranked fourth in passer rating allowed when targeted (57.2) and seventh in yards per target (5.0), in the company of veterans like Surtain and Stingley as well as Eagles All-Pro and 2024 first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell. Those numbers were career-highs for Porter, as were his 14 passes defended; he also cut his penalty count to nine after 29 in his first two years. He did all of this while often being tasked with shadowing the opposing team’s top wide receiver.
The arrow is firmly pointing up for the legacy Steeler, and an extension seems like a matter of when, not if, Kaboly adds. Porter’s father, Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter Sr., signed a second contract to stay in Pittsburgh for the first eight years of his career, and his son seems poised to do the same.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/8/26
Four teams made minor moves on Monday. Here’s a look…
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Malick Meiga
- Waived: TE Heinrich Haarberg
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Jalen Walthall
- Waived/injured: Quentin Skinner
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Bobby Hart
- Waived: WR Levi Wentz
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: K B.T. Potter
- Waived: P Aidan Laros
Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas are entrenched as the Seahawks’ starting tackles, meaning the well-traveled Hart will vie for a backup role this summer. The former Giant, Bengal, Bill, Titan and Charger has amassed 108 appearances and 75 starts since he entered the league as a seventh-round pick in 2015. Hart was the Bengals’ starting right tackle from 2018-20, but he saw little action over the next four years and did not get into any regular-season games from 2023-24. He returned last year to play 10 games and start in eight at right tackle with the Chargers, who went without the injured Joe Alt for most of the season.
Cardinals OLB Josh Sweat Reports For Mandatory Minicamp
As was the case with disgruntled quarterback Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals outside linebacker Josh Sweat reported for mandatory minicamp on Monday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Skipping Day 1 would have subjected Sweat to a $17,986 fine. The total amount for missing all three days checks in at $107,911.
Like Brissett, Sweat was not in attendance for the voluntary portion of the Cardinals’ offseason. That was also the case in 2025, the start of the four-year, $76.4MM contract the ex-Eagle signed in free agency. However, with Sweat now drawing trade interest, there has been speculation he could be on the way out of Arizona soon.
When Sweat hit the open market in March 2025 and chose the Cardinals as his next team, head coach Jonathan Gannon was at the helm. Sweat previously played for Gannon, then the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, from 2021-22. The two have a good rapport, but their second partnership ended when the Cardinals fired Gannon in January and replaced him with Mike LaFleur.
Gannon landed on his feet as the Packers’ defensive coordinator, leading to speculation that they will swing a trade for Sweat. Although Rapoport reported last week that the Cardinals are not dealing Sweat to the Pack or anyone else, Albert Breer of SI.com isn’t ruling out a trade. It is easy to see the fit in Green Bay, which will go without superstar edge defender Micah Parsons for the first several weeks of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. While there are other contenders that would make sense as Sweat suitors, it is far from a given Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort will part with his best pass rusher.
Ossenfort’s three-year tenure in Arizona has not gone well, evidenced by the team’s dismal 15-36 record, but making a free agent splash on Sweat has worked out. After tallying between six and 11 sacks in each of his last five seasons in Philadelphia, the one-time Pro Bowler notched a career-high 12 in his first year in Arizona. Sweat played his second 17-game season and chipped in 30 tackles (13 TFL), 17 QB hits and a personal-best four forced fumbles. If he opens 2026 with the Cardinals and continues to offer strong production over the first couple months of the season, it is likely teams will come knocking ahead of the Nov. 3 trade deadline.
Along with his quality production, Sweat’s team-friendly contract adds to his appeal. The 29-year-old ranks a reasonable 22nd at his position in average annual salary, and he has no guaranteed money left on his deal beyond the upcoming season.
Seahawks Work Out S Ifeatu Melifonwu
The Seahawks worked out free agent safety Ifeatu Melifonwu on Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network relays. No deal is imminent, per Garafolo.
Melifonwu became a free agent in March, but this is the first reported interest he has received since then. The 27-year-old is coming off what could go down as his lone season in Miami, where he started a career-high eight times in 16 games. While playing just over 51% of defensive snaps, Melifonwu totaled a personal-best 53 tackles, an interception and a sack. He was Pro Football Focus’ 53rd-ranked safety out of 91 qualifiers.
Before joining the Dolphins, Melifonwu spent his first four years in Detroit, which took him in the third round of the 2021 draft. Melifonwu posted a full season with the Lions in 2023, but the Syracuse product missed between seven and 14 games in each of his other three years in the Motor City. An ankle injury limited him to a career-low three appearances in 2024, his last season with the club. He ended his 37-game, 14-start Lions tenure with 72 tackles, 13 passes defensed, 4.5 sacks and two picks (both of which came in 2023).
Along with his work as a defensive reserve, Melifonwu has garnered a decent amount of special teams experience in the pros. He logged a career-high 40% special teams snap share in 2023 and was on the field for 24% of the Dolphins’ ST plays last year. He would likely continue factoring in on special teams in Seattle, which boasts a starting safety tandem of Julian Love and Ty Okada. The reigning Super Bowl champions lost Coby Bryant to the Bears in free agency, but they replenished the position when they added Bud Clark in the second round of the draft. The Seahawks also have Rodney Thomas, D’Anthony Bell, Maxen Hook and AJ Finley on their roster.