Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby’s Gambling Problem Puts Future In Jeopardy
The NFL Draft has come and gone, and we ended up with two Day 1 quarterbacks when it was all said and done. When we were taking a look at potential first-round passers early on, former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby‘s name was mentioned as a name to watch. Now at Texas Tech via transfer portal, Sorsby’s future could be in jeopardy due to a gambling problem that has landed him in an addiction program, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Sorsby’s entry in a treatment program came following news that the two-time transfer had made “thousands of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app,” putting his eligibility to play at his new school in danger. The NCAA forbids student athletes from betting on college and professional spots and are reportedly investigating Sorsby’s gambling activity. Per Thamel’s sources, that activity includes bets on a team for which Sorsby played at the time they were placed.
Sorsby began his collegiate career at Indiana, and in 2022, he was a true freshman for the Hoosiers in the process of redshirting. Thamel reports that Sorsby bet on the Hoosiers to win individual games that season, but none of those bets were placed on the singular game in which he made a brief appearance that year. Those with knowledge of the situation note that Sorsby has not been tied to any potential attempts to influence outcomes to profit off bets and that his gambling habits were not ever put on the radar of law enforcement.
As a Hoosier, Sorsby showed promise but left room for improvement with his overall accuracy. After transferring to Cincinnati, he saw big improvement in a full-time starting role and had his biggest year for the Bearcats last year as a redshirt junior, throwing for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. When he entered the transfer portal a second time, he immediately became one of the hottest names on the market. Following visits to LSU and Texas Tech, he committed to the Red Raiders on a reported NIL deal worth more than $5MM.
Texas Tech could be out of luck, though, as the NCAA’s strict policy against gambling could mean his time as QB1 in Lubbock is over before it ever began. With the onset of NIL and online sports betting in recent years, the NCAA amended its guidelines in 2023. The new guidelines dictate that wagers over $800 could lead to the loss of up to 30 percent of a season of eligibility. Cumulative bets greatly exceeding $800 could lead to permanent ineligibility. A college athlete betting on another school in their own sport could lead to 50 percent of a season suspension, while wagering “on their own games or on other sports at their own schools” could result in “permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports.”
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, every college football staffer he asked seemed to believe that the NCAA would revoke Sorsby’s eligibility. In order to continue his career in Lubbock, Sorsby would then have to “file a lawsuit and seek an injunction” to play. If ruled ineligible, Breer offered up that Sorsby could then head for the NFL by way of the supplemental NFL Draft. The supplemental draft is usually reserved for players who bypass the April draft in favor of extra years of eligibility they believe will be granted before the NCAA ultimately denies them. The early-summer event hasn’t taken place in either of the past two years due to no players declaring for it.
Breer and Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports laid out opposing viewpoints on the situation for Sorsby, who would have to be approved by the NFL for the supplemental draft. Breer mentioned the cases of former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who was banned from the university’s athletic program after withdrawing following allegations of making thousands of dollars for autographs, and former Baylor wide receiver Josh Gordon who had been suspended by the team for his marijuana use. Both players were accepted into the supplemental draft and selected.
Breer believes that, based on these past cases and based on the league’s recent partnerships with gambling companies potentially altering their disposition, Sorsby may be able to move past the NCAA situation by opting for the NFL. Jones, though, is under the impression that, if the NCAA rules Sorsby ineligible by June and he’s able to apply for the supplemental draft, the NFL would not realistically approve him to enter, citing the league’s history of hard judgment of gambling players. He pointed out that, currently, players who bet on their own teams, as Sorsby has previously done, face a two-year ban as punishment.
Even if the league does allow Sorsby to enter the supplemental draft, he would need to be selected by an NFL team. Breer offered up that any of the several teams that punted on the quarterback position in the draft this year with the intention of investing in next year’s class might be willing to throw a second- or third-round pick in for Sorsby, but a source Jones has in the league reportedly called the 22-year-old “untouchable” at this point in time.
Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire and the school both expressed support for Sorsby and his decision to seek professional help through the addiction program in statements released to the media. At the time, their focus is on Sorsby “as a person” while he prioritizes his health, and any other concerns will have to wait for the future, after he receives the help he needs.
Panthers Pick Up Bryce Young’s Fifth-Year Option
The Panthers officially picked up quarterback Bryce Young‘s fifth year option, per a team announcement, locking the 2023 No. 1 overall pick into a fully guaranteed $25.9MM salary for the 2027 season.
Carolina was expected to make this move after Young demonstrated clear signs of development in 2025 and put up career-bests in nearly every statistical category. The 24-year-old benefitted from a stronger supporting cast, including first-round receiver Tetairoa McMillan and breakout running back Rico Dowdle, but he undoubtedly showed a much better command of head coach Dave Canales‘ offense, too.
[RELATED: 2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
Still, Young has a ways to go before fully living up to his draft slot by establishing himself as one of the league’s top quarterbacks. $25.9MM will be a fine price for a starting quarterback in 2027, but the two sides could get to work on an extension right away.
If the Panthers are already confident in Young’s ability to be their long-term starter, a multiyear deal now could look like a steal in a few seasons. That still carries significant risk, as the former Alabama star barely cracked 3,000 passing yards last season with 23 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and an 87.8 passer rating.
That is hardly the output of a high-end starting quarterback, so Carolina may want to wait another year before agreeing to a long-term contract with Young. He could absolutely play himself into a better deal, but even in that case, the Panthers will know they have their franchise QB. In other words, the risk of having to pay Young more next offseason might be preferable to the risk of ponying up significant guarantees right now without knowing if he is truly the future of their team.
The timing of a potential Young extension has been a talking point this spring. It was reported in February the Panthers were in position to wait until the 2026 season played out to make a big-money commitment. More recently, though, it has seemed as if Carolina would be willing to engage in contract talks now. Young’s approach on this front will be worth watching closely as the summer unfolds.
The Panthers eyed a change in the QB depth chart with Andy Dalton‘s tenure coming to an end. Dalton was traded to the Eagles shortly after Kenny Pickett was added in free agency. The latter will give Carolina a much younger backup signal-caller, while the team accomplished its goal of adding another quarterback shortly after the draft ended. Haynes King was signed as a UDFA on Saturday. Young has not always been the Panthers’ undisputed starter, but he will be expected to log QB1 duties once more in 2026.
How that setup plays out will be key in determining Carolina’s ability to reach the playoffs once again next year. It will also, of course, determine the value of a new Young contract in the event one is not finalized over the near future.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
QB Bo Nix Undergoes Follow-Up Ankle Procedure
The party line coming out of Denver pointed to Bo Nix being ready for OTAs; the most recent update from this situation tabbed the QB as being ahead of schedule on his ankle rehab. But it now looks quite possible the Broncos will be careful with their starting quarterback this offseason.
As Nix’s rehab from an ankle fracture continues, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo note the third-year passer underwent a follow-up procedure described as a cleanup. While the NFL.com duo indicates this is not an unexpected development, the prospect of the Broncos being careful with Nix this offseason also emerged.
This comes after Nix’s scheduled recheck last week. The Broncos are expected to be cautious with their signal-caller, but Rapoport and Garafolo note the QB is “firmly” expected to be ready for training camp. While Nix is going into his third season in the same system, the Broncos are changing play-callers — with Sean Payton giving the reins to QBs coach-turned-OC Davis Webb — this year.
Denver lost Nix at a rather inopportune moment, seeing the durable passer suffer his injury during the overtime period of a 33-30 divisional-round win over the Bills. Payton announced postgame it would be Jarrett Stidham making the start in the AFC championship game. Although the three-year Broncos backup started off well, an untimely fumble gave the Patriots vital early field position — in a game later mired in a blizzard — that helped them unravel a defense-oriented Broncos game plan.
The Broncos’ Nix-driven “what if?” regarding a Super Bowl LX berth represented the latest bad break for Payton in the playoffs, with the late-season QB injury coming years after the Minneapolis Miracle sequence and the infamous uncalled pass interference play in the Rams-Saints 2018 NFC championship game. Payton appears quite confident in his 2025 nucleus, with the Broncos having re-signed a host of players from that roster in free agency (to go with the Jaylen Waddle trade).
Stidham enters the second season of a two-year, $12MM contract, and the Broncos also included third-stringer Sam Ehlinger in their re-signing spree. That duo figures to see more work during OTAs and minicamp. Although it could be construed as a setback in that Nix was viewed as on track for OTAs before word of this second procedure surfaced, training camp is nearly three months away.
Eagles Assistant GM Alec Halabay Leaves Position
After 17 years in an NFL front office, all of them with the Eagles, assistant general manager Alec Halaby has made the decision to step away from his position with the team. According to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Halaby is leaving to “start a new professional chapter of his career.”
In a statement released to the media (via Zach Berman of The Athletic), Habalay said, “I am deeply grateful to the Eagles organization, especially (chairman/CEO Jeffrey Lurie) and (general manager/executive vice president Howie Roseman), for giving me a chance to work in the game I love. Jeffrey’s stewardship has created a first-class organization. Howie has been a mentor to me from Day One, for which I am greatly appreciative.
“It has been a rare privilege to contribute to building championship teams for the city of Philadelphia. The experience has been enriched by a set of special relationships with front office colleagues, coaches, and players. Football has been a core part of my life for as long as I can remember; that won’t change. Nevertheless, after 17 years in Philadelphia, I’ve decided to step away to start a new professional chapter. It has been a wonderful journey. Go Birds.”
A Harvard graduate, Halaby began his tenure with the Eagles with two separate internships in 2007 and 2009. In 2010, he was hired into his first official role with the team as a player personnel analyst. Two years later, Halaby was named special assistant to the general manager in Roseman’s third season in the GM role. In 2016, Halaby was promoted to vice president of football operations and strategy, a position he held for six years before finally completing the ascension from assistant to the general manager to assistant general manager.
Halaby walks away from that role now after four years, doing so with two Super Bowl rings. It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for the longtime Eagles staffer. He has seemingly been considered a general manager candidate in recent years, interviewing for open jobs in Carolina and Washington in 2024 and with the Jets in 2025. There is currently an open GM job in Minnesota, after the team made a late move to fire Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, but there’s also a chance Halaby could follow an old colleague.
A couple days ago, it was announced that former Eagles senior vice president/tertiary football executive Bryce Johnston would replace former Falcons senior director of football administration Chris Olsen. Johnston worked alongside the Eagles personnel department during his time in Philadelphia and may be open to welcoming a familiar face in Halaby to a quickly evolving front office, though that decision seems to be to up to new president of football Matt Ryan. Regardless, Halaby’s next chapter will be his first not with the Eagles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/29/26
Wednesday’s midweek minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: FB Ben VanSumeren
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed franchise tender: WR George Pickens (story)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Joe Bachie, DT Jay Tufele
Kansas City Chiefs
- Received international exemption: T Chukwuebuka Godrick
- Waived: RB ShunDerrick Powell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Leki Fotu
Los Angeles Chargers
- Received international exemption: TE Thomas Yassmin
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT Eric Johnson II
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Harrison Bryant
The Seahawks are adding some depth in their tight ends room by bringing in the former Mackey Award winner out of FAU. Seattle relied heavily on a two-man crew featuring AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo until a knee injury placed the second-round rookie, Arroyo, on injured reserve for most of the rest of the team’s Super Bowl run. When Arroyo went down, veteran Eric Saubert came in to supplement Barner with minimal contributions from undrafted Minnesota rookie Nick Kallerup.
In his rookie year, Bryant looked like he might displace David Njoku as TE2 behind Austin Hooper in Cleveland. He found himself third in the pecking order in Year 2, but returned to TE2 duties, this time behind Njoku, after Hooper was no longer on the team.
Dolphins Part Ways With Champ Kelly
With the draft now in the books, the Dolphins are among the teams undergoing changes in their front office. The most notable departure has come in the form of new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan‘s predecessor.
Miami has parted ways with Champ Kelly, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports. Kelly held the title of senior personnel executive but also served as the Dolphins’ interim GM after Chris Grier‘s in-season dismissal. Miami was one of the teams in need of a new general manager during the 2026 hiring cycle, something which ultimately resulted in Sullivan’s hire and consultant Troy Aikman securing a semi-permanent role in the organization.
When the Dolphins narrowed their GM candidates list to four, Kelly was still in the running. He had just joined the team near the start of the prior league year after three-year tenure in Las Vegas that started with his first opportunity in an assistant general manager role before moving him into an interim role in place of fired Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler. The former Broncos and Bears staffer’s knowledge of both college and pro scouting helped him quickly climb up to even be in position for multiple interim GM opportunities.
Joining Kelly in departure are pro scouts J.P. Correia and Andy Howell. Correia came out of the UMass front office in 2017, serving a short pro personnel internship with the Giants before joining the Dolphins as a scouting assistant. Corriea worked as a player personnel scout for the next three years before spent the past four seasons in his most recent role.
Howell started as a scouting assistant with the Browns in 2012, spent two years going from pro personnel intern to assistant with the Jets, and spent a season as the director of player personnel/recruiting coordinator at Western Michigan before joining the Dolphins in 2016. He only spent one season as a player personnel scout before moving in a the pro scout position for the past eight seasons.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
DT Jaleel Johnson Retires
Jaleel Johnson will not return to the NFL in 2026. The veteran defensive tackle has retired at the age of 31, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes.
Johnson entered the league in 2017. He played out his rookie contract as a member of the Vikings, taking on a larger defensive workload with each passing season. Johnson operated as a full-time starter during his final Minnesota campaign, and his 654 snaps that season wound up being the most of his career during a single year.
During his first foray into free agency, Johnson joined the Texans on a one-year deal. He did not survive roster cuts but still wound up making 12 appearances with Houston in 2021. During the ensuing years, Johnson found himself bouncing on and off practice squads while serving in a depth capacity. The former fourth-rounder split his time between the Texans and Falcons in 2022.
That was followed by a brief stint with the Titans. Johnson spent the 2023 campaign in Tennessee, alternating between time on the active roster and the team’s practice squad. The Iowa product managed 12 games played that season, but he did not receive any contracts (or take any known visits with interested teams) after that point. Johnson remained unsigned deep into the spring, and with the draft now in the books he will not be seeking out an opportunity to land with a team during training camp, as was the case in 2024.
Despite never delivering standout production against the run or pass, Johnson amassed 90 combined regular and postseason appearances across a career which spanned seven years. He has officially retired with just over $5.5MM in total earnings.
Falcons Part Ways With Exec Chris Olsen, Hire Eagles’ Bryce Johnston
APRIL 29: Johnston will hold the title of senior vice president of football administration/senior personnel executive in Atlanta, per a team announcement. He will thus play a leading role as part of the Falcons’ significantly revamped front office.
APRIL 27: The Falcons are continuing to reshape their front office under new vice president of football operations Matt Ryan and general manager Ian Cunningham. The latest change is the departure of senior director of football administration Chris Olsen, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Olsen is a longtime NFL executive who began his career working for the NFL Management Council. In 2007, he was hired as the Texans’ senior vice president of football administration, a post he held until his firing in 2020. He then joined the Falcons the following year and played a key role negotiating contracts and managing Atlanta’s tight cap situation over the last several years.
Replacing Olson will be Eagles senior vice president/tertiary football executive Bryce Johnston, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He spent the last decade working under one of the league’s preeminent contract/cap experts in Howie Roseman, which included the execution of major deals with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and several others.
Johnston overlapped with new Falcons GM Ian Cunningham in Philly. Johnston will now take that expertise to Atlanta where he will manage the salary cap, lead contract negotiations, and handle similar roster-related duties under the Falcons’ new regime.
The Falcons are also overhauling their scouting department. The team has parted ways with scouts Alex Brown, Ben Martinez, and Shepley Heard, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Brown joined the team just last year, while Martinez arrived in 2023. Heard was previously Atlanta’s director of pro personnel under former general manager Thomas Dimitroff, but was demoted to an area scout role when Terry Fontenot took over in 2021.
Jets Decline Mazi Smith’s Fifth-Year Option
The Jets announced on Wednesday that they picked up the fifth-year option for their 2023 first-round pick, Will McDonald. However, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, they will not do the same with Mazi Smith, the Cowboys’ 2023 first-rounder who was acquired as part of the Quinnen Williams deal at the 2025 trade deadline.
New York’s second fifth-year option decision certainly comes as no surprise. Smith did not develop as hoped during his tenure with the Cowboys, something which made him expendable in the Williams swap. He will now enter next season as a pending free agent.
Smith played sparingly as a rookie but took on a full-time starting role during his second season in Dallas. The Michigan product did not emerge as a notable presence in the pass rush department. Run defense remained a concern, and while the Cowboys initially displayed a desire to keep Smith in the fold, his name was mentioned in trade speculation. Upgrading along the defensive interior was a goal for the team last offseason, and Kenny Clark was part of the package Dallas received in the Micah Parsons blockbuster.
Even with Clark in the fold, Dallas sought out further changes at the D-tackle spot. That led to the Williams trade, and Smith — a throw-in piece in that November 2025 swap — played a role in replacing him upon arrival in New York.
Smith made just three appearances with the Jets down the stretch, though, logging only 54 defensive snaps along the way. A depth role should again be in store for his first full campaign with the team. The Jets acquired T’Vondre Sweat in the trade which sent Jermaine Johnson to the Titans and signed David Onyemata in free agency.
Defensive tackle was still seen as a position where New York could make further investments entering the draft. The Jets selected Darrell Jackson Jr. in the fourth round, and he will look to carve out a rotational role as a rookie. How Smith fits into the team’s setup on the defensive line will be interesting to see. It will also determine his earning potential upon testing the open market next spring.
Seventeen defensive tackles are currently attached to an AAV of $20MM or more. Smith would not have joined that group had his option ($13.93MM) been exercised, but a raise to that figure would have still been unexpected. The 2026 season will represent Smith’s age-25 campaign, and it will be key in deciding how his second NFL contract takes shape.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.
Jets Pick Up Will McDonald’s Fifth-Year Option
The Jets officially picked up Will McDonald‘s fifth-year option, per a team announcement, ensuring the 2023 first-rounder remains under contract through the 2027 season. This had been the expectation, and this Jets regime now has more time to evaluate the Joe Douglas/Robert Saleh-era first-rounder.
McDonald, 26, had a quiet rookie year but emerged as a productive edge rusher in the last two seasons with 18.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. Those numbers did not earn him any Pro Bowl recognition, which, combined with his minimal playing time as a rookie, keeps his fifth-year option at the lowest tier. He will be owed a fully guaranteed salary of $13.75MM, an excellent price for a consistent pass rusher.
[RELATED: 2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]
That number looks even better considering McDonald’s upside. He is an elite athlete with nearly 35-inch arms, though his otherwise undersized frame significantly limits him against the run. That, of course, is less important in a league that pays for pass rushing production more than anything else.
The two sides can now get to work on a long-term extension, though negotiations could be tricky. McDonald’s traditional counting statistics over the last two years place him among the league’s top 20 edge rushers and in the company of players like Odafe Oweh, who just signed with the Commanders for $24MM per year. However, his pass rush win rate and pressure production fall closer to the middle of the pack, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
In fact, those numbers closely compare to Joseph Ossai, who just signed with the Jets for $11.5MM per year. A McDonald extension should certainly come in higher than Ossai’s due to his option value, but there is still a significant gap between that and Oweh’s deal. However, both player and club have plenty of reason to come to the table. McDonald is set to earn just $3MM in 2026, and his fifth-year option will be paid out as base salary over the course of the 2027 season. A multiyear deal would give him a sizable up-front payday and some long-term security as soon as he puts pen to paper.
The Jets would also benefit from an early extension. The new years and money would be added on to McDonald’s current deal, resulting in a much more favorable annual cost over the full term of the contract. The team retained McDonald at last year’s trade deadline. At the time, it was believed he carried more value to the current regime than fellow 2025 trade target Jermaine Johnson. The Jets dealt Johnson to Saleh’s Titans in March, though No. 2 overall pick David Bailey now resides as the team’s pass-rushing centerpiece. Johnson will remain in the fold, however, as the team evaluates his place alongside the Texas Tech standout.