NCAA Will Not Negotiate Settlement To Reinstate Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby
Brendan Sorsby‘s college football career appears to be on life support.
The NCAA denied the 22-year-old’s request for reinstatement on Tuesday with Texas Tech already working on an appeal to keep their coveted quarterback. Sorsby has a separate injunction hearing scheduled for Monday (with his personal attorneys) that would allow him to play as his legal case progresses.
The injunction seems to be his last chance at playing for the Red Raiders this year, as the NCAA has “already informed Sorsby’s legal team that it will not negotiate a settlement to get Sorsby back on the field,” per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Such a settlement would have involved accepting a suspension for his infractions while remaining eligible to play later in the year. It was seen as the quickest path for his return to the field, but the NCAA will instead force him to prove his case in court.
Winning the injunction seems like a long shot, too. All Sorsby has to do is prove he has a chance of winning the case, but his admission of sports gambling and entrance into a treatment program is near-incontrovertible evidence against him.
As a result, it increasingly seems that the NFL’s supplemental draft will be Sorsby’s eventual next step. He could still face discipline from the league, perhaps also accepting a suspension similar to the Terrelle Pryor case as a condition of entering the draft. He would have time in July to work out in front of NFL teams, likely in a pro day-style setting with private workouts with interested teams.
Breer mentions the Colts and Steelers as two clubs who could take a look at Sorsby should he be available in July. Indianapolis signed Daniel Jones to a two-year deal, but he will have to prove he can resume his stellar play from 2025 post-injury. But his overall career suggests he may not be a long-term franchise quarterback, so the Colts could consider throwing a mid-round pick at Sorsby to prepare themselves from 2027 and beyond.
Pittsburgh has had no issue using Day 2 selections on quarterbacks in each of the last two drafts. Perhaps they would be willing to do so again, but that would create a developmental logjam with Will Howard and Drew Allar already taking second-team reps behind Aaron Rodgers.
Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving Still Recovering From Shoulder Surgery
Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving is not expected to participate in OTAs due to his ongoing recovery from offseason shoulder surgery, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Irving, 23, only appeared in 10 games last year due to foot and shoulder sprains, with the latter hampering him for the rest of the year. The result was a significant drop in production relative to his standout rookie year, which featured 5.4 yards per carry and eight touchdowns. In 2025, he averaged just 3.4 yards per carry and scored just once.
The 2024 fourth-round pick is not expected to be ready for the Buccaneers’ mandatory minicamp later in June. Instead, a return “at some point during training camp” is more likely, although that uncertainty may be worrisome for Tampa Bay (and Irving’s fantasy owners).
In the meantime, free agency signing Kenneth Gainwell and 2023 UDFA Sean Tucker will be in line for first-team reps.
Gainwell had a resurgent season in Pittsburgh last year with career-highs of 537 rushing yards and 4.7 yards per attempt as well as a huge role in the passing game. He caught 73 of his 85 targets for 486 yards and three touchdowns – all career-highs as well – and figures to fill Rachaad White‘s third-down role in Tampa Bay.
Tucker flashed in 2024 with 308 yards on just 50 carries (6.2 yards per attempt), but struggled to fill Irving’s void last year. He managed just 320 yards on 86 carries (3.7 yards per attempt), though he did post a team- and career-high of seven touchdowns.
Rounding out the Bucs’ backfield is 2025 UDFA Josh Williams, who appeared in just three games as a rookie (partially due to a six-game PED suspension). The team also signed undrafted rookie Kadarius Calloway, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry at Old Dominion in 2023 but failed to replicated those results at Cal and New Mexico State in the last two years. They will also be in line for more reps in spring practices, but Tampa Bay could also consider a veteran addition to hedge against an extended absence from Irving.
Supreme Court Declines To Hear NFL Appeal In Brian Flores Lawsuit
Brian Flores‘ discrimination lawsuit against the NFL is one (key) step closer to seeing open court. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the NFL on Tuesday that sought to keep the matter within the league’s private arbitration process, per Lindsay Whitehurst of the Associated Press.
Flores’ lawyers have successfully argued in lower courts that contracts requiring non-player employees – i.e. coaches and executives – to settle disputes via arbitration are nonenforceable. (Player contracts operate under a collective bargaining agreement, which puts them in a separate category.) Commissioner Roger Goodell has the power over that process, including selecting arbiters, creating a conflict of interest for cases in which the league is a party.
The Supreme Court could have heard the appeal and intervened in the case to rule on the enforceability of arbitration clauses in NFL employee contracts. The league’s filing was specifically worded to narrowly apply to sports leagues to avoid bigger questions about the validity of similar processes in other businesses, as noted by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Instead, the ruling of lower courts will remain in place, keeping Flores’ lawsuit on track for a jury trial in federal court.
“We respect the Supreme Court’s decision not to grant review,” an NFL spokesperson said (via Florio).“Regardless of the forum, we are fully prepared to defend ourselves as this matter proceeds.”
Flores’ lawyers, David Gottlieb and Douglas Wigdor, were understandably more positive about the Supreme Court’s decision.
“We are pleased that the Supreme Court declined to accept the NFL’s appeal,” they said in a statement. “The NFL must now accept that its commissioner cannot be the arbitrator over discrimination claims against the league and its teams. We look forward to litigating these claims in court.”
However, the Supreme Court’s decision is unlikely to accelerate an outcome in this case. The NFL will continue to throw up every legal roadblock it can to keep Flores’ claims from seeing the light of open court. The private arbitration process itself is an example of how the league tries to keep disputes – especially high-profile ones alleging racial hiring discrimination – out of the public eye. That also means that this latest update increases the chance of an out-of-court settlement, perhaps before Flores’ legal team can go through the discovery process and gather even more ammunition for their suit.
Roger Goodell: NFL Is ‘Engaging With’ Florida AG On Rooney Rule
The NFL’s ongoing battle with the state of Florida over the Rooney Rule took another turn this month when attorney general James Uthmeier issued a 15-page subpoena to the league with a June 12 deadline to comply.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has since said (via Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein) that the league is “engaging with” Uthmeier, who was appointed to his position last year. To keep it, he must win an election this fall, making his attack on the Rooney Rule seem like an attempt to seize on a hot-button issue and raise his political profile. After all, the Rooney Rule is the prominent diversity hiring initiative of one of the biggest public-facing businesses in the world, making it an easy target for DEI opponents.
The league stood by the Rooney Rule in their initial public response, but quietly formalized some changes in the background. One was the softening of language related to minority hiring on the league’s webpage; another was acknowledging the end of a previous program that mandated each team to have a minority offensive assistant on their coaching staff.
The NFL also kicked off their revamped accelerator program in May. It was originally created in 2022 with a focus on increasing diversity in head coach and general manager positions by giving high-potential minority coaches and executives specialized training and networking opportunities.
The league canceled the accelerator program last year, stirring speculation that the league was looking to avoid DEI-related scrutiny from the Trump administration. This year, it returned with a very different scope. Previously, only minority coaches and executives participated, but just half of this year’s group are minorities. That does not appear to be an accident, as the NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams in March
“The May accelerator is intended to focus on advancing talent from underrepresented groups while remaining open to qualified senior-level candidates of all backgrounds,” the memo reads (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Senior vice president of league leadership and inclusion Jonathan Beane said (via Epstein) that the NFL wanted to “ensure that there is access and opportunity for everyone to compete for these very elite, exclusive roles.”
The focus has also shifted from creating a new leadership pipeline to helping the most qualified candidates take the final step into head coach or general manager positions.
“We wanted to make it a little more strict and elevated, really focusing on top talent that are really positioned to get that top position,” Beane said.
This year’s class includes several mainstays on the interview circuit over the last few years, as well as Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy and Chargers offensive coordinator and former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. (It’s fair to wonder why McDaniel, who was hired by Miami when he was 38 years old, had interest from several teams when he was fired this offseason, and still has a play-calling coordinator job, is participating.)
The changes to the accelerator program could be seen as another attempt to appease Uthmeier by minimizing the diversity focus of the league’s hiring initiatives with the hopes of precluding a legal battle. But depending on his objectives (and their relevancy to his upcoming election), he may force the NFL to publicly account for the Rooney Rule and other diversity programs regardless of any minor alterations they have already made.
Eagles LB Jihaad Campbell Will Likely Be Ready For Training Camp
Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell underwent shoulder surgery in March with an original projection to “probably miss most of the offseason” from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Fangio has since confirmed that timeline, indicating that the second-year defender is progressing well in his recovery but is not ready for the field yet. He could get onto the field for the end of OTAs or mandatory minicamp, per 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks. Barring that, he should be ready to go by training camp.
Philadelphia traded up to select Campbell with the 31st overall pick in last year’s draft. The 22-year-old stepped into a starting role right away with Nakobe Dean starting the regular season on the physically unable to perform list. He returned to bench in October when his veteran teammate returned to the field and started the last two games of the regular season after another Dean injury.
Campbell is now positioned to take over the full-time No. 2 linebacker job with Dean now playing in Las Vegas. However, until he is on the field, recent Day 3 picks Jeremiah Trotter and Smael Mondon will be in line for more first-team reps next to Zack Baun.
In other Eagles shoulder-related news, Fangio also said this week that defensive tackle Jalen Carter was progressing well through the team’s offseason program after undergoing surgery on both of his shoulders last year.
“I think his shoulders are fine,” Fangio said (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio). “He’s had a good offseason of lifting. I think he started that earlier than normal for him and you can see the difference in that regard. I think he’s in a better spot now than he was.”
Philadelphia did not seem to have any concerns about Carter’s shoulders when he returned from surgery that sidelined him for most of December. He played 58 of the team’s 76 defensive snaps in Week 17, rested in Week 18 with other starters, and stayed on the field for 58 of the Eagles’ 60 snaps in their wild card loss to the 49ers. The team can still be cautious and manage Carter’s workload through the offseason, but at the moment, there is little reason to worry about his status.
Spencer Burford Could Have Inside Track To Raiders Starting Guard Job
The Raider have most of their starting offensive line set with left tackle Kolton Miller, right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, and right tackle Delmar Glaze all returning from last year’s squad.
Las Vegas also signed Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, leaving left guard as the only uncertain spot. Among the top candidates for the job is offseason signing Spencer Burford, per Vincent Bongisnore of the California Post. The 25-year-old brings familiarity not only with Klint Kubiak‘s scheme, but with the new head coach himself. He also has more playing experience than any other guard on the Raiders’ roster.
Originally, a fourth-round pick by the 49ers in 2022, Burford started 16 games at right guard as a rookie. In 2023, while Kubiak was San Francisco’s passing game coordinator, he made another 13 starts at right guard with a handful of snaps at right tackle. Burford did not start any games the following year, but saw time at left guard and tackle.
In 2025, Burford landed on injured reserve after Week 2 and took over the starting left guard job upon his return in Week 9. He started every game for the rest of the year, though several of them featured a timeshare with Ben Bartch until he suffered a season-ending injury.
Burford’s main competition is likely veteran Jordan Meredith, who has primarily played left guard during his four seasons in Las Vegas but did not line up there at all last year. Also in the mix is Atonio Mafi, a Patriots 2023 fifth-round pick who started two games at left guard for the Raiders in 2025.
Glaze, it’s worth noting, gave up 10 sacks last year, per Pro Football Focus, the second-most of any tackle, so Las Vegas could consider a change at right tackle, too. Charles Grant and Caleb Rogers, third-round Raiders tackle draftees in 2024 and 2025, would likely have a better shot at displacing Glaze than Burford, but he does have some experience at the position in a system similar to Kubiak’s.
Ravens S Jaylinn Hawkins Considered Patriots, Three Others In Free Agency
After a relatively unheralded first five years of his career, safety Jaylinn Hawkins broke out in 2025 as a key part of the Patriots’ elite defense. He started 15 games and led the unit with four interceptions to go along with 71 total tackles and six passes defended, also top-five marks team-wide.
That performance helped Hawkins draw significant interest in free agency before ultimately signing a two-year, $10MM with the Ravens. In Baltimore, the 28-year-old will operate as the No. 3 safety in Jesse Minter‘s new defense behind All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and 2025 first-rounder Malaki Starks.
Hawkins did consider staying in New England, he revealed on The Lounge podcast (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss), hinting that the Patriots opted to sign All-Pro and reigning NFL interceptions leader Kevin Byard instead. He also indicated that the Cowboys, Texans, and Panthers all expressed interest before his decision to sign in Baltimore.
All three of those teams made changes to their safety room this offseason, but it is unclear if they could have offered a bigger role for Hawkins. The Ravens had a clear need for a third safety in 2025, resulting in the Odafe Oweh–Alohi Gilman swap with the Chargers, but Gilman and Ar’Darius Washington left in free agency. Gilman played 749 snaps in Baltimore, representing a 98% snap share across his 12 games as a Raven, so Hawkins is in line for a substantial role in his new defense.
The Cowboys re-signed Malik Hooker for his sixth year in Dallas this offseason, and signed longtime Cardinals starter Jalen Thompson to replace Donovan Wilson. They also added P.J. Locke and used a first-round pick on Ohio State All-American Caleb Downs, giving new defensive coordinator Christian Parker multiple options for this season. Dallas might have been a good destination for Hawkins to operate as a versatile No. 3 behind Hooker and Thompson, but Downs would have complicated his path to playing time.
The Texans are returning their 2025 starters, Jalen Pitre and Calen Bullock, as well as veteran No. 3 M.J. Stewart and 2025 sixth-rounder Jaylen Reed. Rather than signing Hawkins, they signed former Eagles Reed Blankenship to a three-year, $24.75MM deal and drafted USC’s Kamari Ramsey in the fifth round of April’s draft. DeMeco Ryans‘ defense does not frequently use three-safety packages, but Houston’s $8.25MM per year investment in Blankenship and Pitre’s slot flexibility could lead to some changes in 2026.
The Panthers entered the new league year with just three safeties on their roster: veteran starter Tre’von Moehrig, 2025 fourth-rounder Lathan Ransom, and 2024 UDFA Demani Richardson. Nick Scott was retained for the other starting job, but the unit could have used another veteran like Hawkins in a tertiary role. Carolina later added Penn State’s Zakee Wheatley with a fifth-round pick, but they may remain a team to watch for a safety acquisition in the coming months.
Titans’ Jackson Slater To Compete At RG
The Titans are returning three-fifths of their starting offensive line with left tackle Dan Moore Jr., left guard Peter Skoronski, and right tackle JC Latham returning to their 2025 posts.
Gone are center Lloyd Cushenberry and right guard Kevin Zeitler, leaving two major holes in front of second-year quarterback Cam Ward.
Austin Schlottmann is likely atop the depth chart at center. He signed a two-year, $7MM deal to come to Tennessee this offseason from New York, where he played under Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for the past two years.
Right guard is less clear. The Titans signed former Bengals starter Cordell Volson in free agency, but all 48 of his career starts came at left guard. He also did not play in 2025 due to season-ending shoulder surgery.
The only returning Titan who took any right guard snaps last year is Jackson Slater, a 2025 fourth-round pick. The 22-year-old played more than 95% of his college snaps at Sacramento State at left guard, but he played on both sides in the preseason and right guard for his lone regular season appearance.
Head coach Robert Saleh said (via veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky) that Slater would be competing at right guard this year as well, indicating the second-year lineman has a path to the starting job opposite Skoronski.
Jets Evaluating Cade Klubnik Before Signing Veteran Backup QB
The Jets are entering OTAs without a clear backup for starting quarterback Geno Smith. In the coming weeks, they plan to evaluate their current trio of young passers before adding another veteran.
Leading that group is rookie Cade Klubnik who they traded up to select in the fourth round of April’s draft. The 22-year-old started for three years at Clemson with 241.7 passing yards per game and 71 touchdowns to 21 interceptions. A notable step back from 2024 to 2025 limited his draft stock, but his NFL-ready tools and experience (39 starts in the ACC) give him clear backup potential.
Klubnik performed well at rookie minicamp, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. but the pace and level of competition will increase drastically at OTAs. Proving himself could persuade the coaching staff they do not need another veteran quarterback, at least for now. The Jets are thought to be targeting a long-term franchise quarterback at the top of the 2027 draft, so giving Klubnik (or another young passer) some regular-season reps should Smith miss time might be more worthwhile than a stopgap veteran.
The Jets also have Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe in their quarterback room. Cook, 24, started four games as an undrafted rookie in 2025 amid New York’s quarterback injuries. He completed just 57.5% of his passes for just 4.8 yards per attempt, two touchdowns and seven interceptions. Cook’s with the organization is a plus, but his incumbency is less of an advantage with a new offensive system.
Zappe, a Patriots fourth-round pick in 2022, won both of his starts as a rookie but averaged just 127.2 yards per game and 6.0 yards per attempt in 2023. He started one game for the Browns in 2024 – a Week 18 drubbing by the Ravens – and spent last year on Cleveland’s practice squad.
The Jets could still elect to add a free agent quarterback. The team has been in contact with multiple veterans, including Russell Wilson, and others could come free as teams adjusting their rosters in the coming months.
Seahawks Not Close To Devon Witherspoon Extension
The Seahawks are not close to signing star cornerback Devon Witherspoon to an extension, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
Seattle had no issue signing fellow 2023 first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a long-term contract this offseason. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year is now the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL with a $42.25MM AAV in a deal that came together quickly this offseason.
Agreeing to terms with Witherspoon will take more time. The cornerback market increased by $5MM from 2024 to 2025, but Trent McDuffie only secured a $900K bump to $31MM on his deal with the Rams. That is somewhat discouraging considering McDuffie’s additional leverage since Los Angeles traded a first-round pick to acquire him.
Witherspoon, who is coming off his third straight Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro selection despite playing in just 12 games, could be angling for a bigger raise. He was a crucial part of Seattle’s league-leading defense in 2025 and all cornerbacks with 90.1 overall grade, a 90.1 run defense grade, and 13 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Another element is Witherspoon’s shared representation with Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. New England is working on an extension with its 2023 first-round pick, but WIN Sports Group could be playing their offer against Seattle’s to secure the best deals possible for both players.
The Seahawks typically finalize their extensions by the start of training camp, Henderson notes, giving them some time window to finalize an agreement with Witherspoon. The former No. 5 pick was among the veterans present at OTAs this week, suggesting that he is not frustrated by contract talks thus far and offering optimism on reaching a deal within the next two months.