Could Buccaneers Target Brendan Sorsby In 2026 NFL Supplemental Draft?

A very interesting development has occurred in the NFL's upcoming 2026 supplemental draft. Former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has elected to enter the draft, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. This marks the most notable player that has been available in the supplemental draft in a good few years.

Indiana's Brendan Sorsby (15) throws before the start of the Indiana versus Ohio State football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023 | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Case for Sorsby and the Buccaneers

Here is how the supplemental draft works. Let's say the Buccaneers use a second-round pick on Sorsby in the NFL's 2026 supplemental draft. This means that the Bucs get Sorsby, but forfeit their second-round selection in the 2027 NFL draft. Every team will have a chance to draft players eligible for the supplemental draft, and the draft order is determined before the supplemental draft begins.

Sorsby was projected to be one of the top quarterbacks available in the 2027 NFL draft, being 40th on Pro Football Focus' big board, and would be the sixth quarterback on their board. Sorsby would've likely been a day two pick had he entered the 2026 NFL draft due to his overall blend of size and athleticism, to go with solid numbers in college.

Sorsby's college career has been an up-and-down roller coaster as of late. Sorsby posted 7208 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns, 18 interceptions, 1295 rushing yards, and 22 rushing touchdowns for Indiana and Cincinnati from 2022 to 2025. Sorsby has the stats and the tools to be a great developmental quarterback in this league for any team, including the Buccaneers, and has the makeup as a player who has the talent to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL.

Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby goes through warmups before the spring football game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Here Is the Issue Though…

The biggest issue with Sorsby, though, is the off-field concerns. In April of this year, Sorsby took an indefinite leave of absence from Texas Tech to enter a treatment program for a gambling addiction.

This resulted in an NCAA investigation, appeals from Sorsby and Texas Tech for him to play in 2026, rejections to said appeals by the NCAA, and finally a ruling by a judge in a lawsuit between Sorsby and the NCAA to grant him the ability to play college football again, in which the judge ruled in Sorsby's favor.

It's these off-field concerns that will most likely prevent the Buccaneers from being interested in Sorsby in the upcoming supplemental draft. Jason Licht deeply values high character prospects over raw talent, and while Sorsby has worked hard to get the proper help that he needed for these off-field issues, Tampa will likely roll with the options that they have available at quarterback.

The Bucs feel very good about the options that they have at quarterback with Baker Mayfield as the starter, Jake Browning as the backup, and Jalon Daniels and Connor Bazelak as the developmental pieces.

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