The Brendan Sorsby fiasco is coming to an end. On Monday afternoon, Texas Tech announced that they would be parting ways with the top quarterback in the transfer portal after receiving a ton of backlash from the college football world.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Sorsby was guilty of placing thousands of bets nearing a total of $100,000 during his time in college, which included 40 bets on his own team back when he was a member of the Indiana Hoosiers. Betting on your own team is a cardinal sin in sports, but Texas Tech was going to play him anyway.

But after a couple weeks of fans crucifying them online and the Big 12 conference publicly denouncing Tech’s decision to play Sorsby, the two parties agreed to part ways, leading to Sorsby announcing he will enter the NFL’s supplemental draft, which is set to be held in late July.

What is the Supplemental Draft?

If you’re asking yourself what the supplemental draft is, don’t feel dumb. There hasn’t been a single player selected in the supplemental draft since Jalen Thompson in 2019. And before him, the most recent notable pick was Josh Gordon back in 2012.

The supplemental draft doesn’t happen often, but even when it does, it typically flies under the radar. But that will not be the case this year. Sorsby was projected to be a first round pick in next year’s draft, so expect the lead up to this year’s supplemental draft to be full of headlines.

You may assume the supplemental draft works like the NFL Draft, but you’d be wrong. Instead of teams going on the clock and having an allotted amount of time to make a pick (or pass on it), it’s a lottery system. The NFL divides teams into three categories – teams with six or fewer wins, teams with seven or more wins that missed the playoffs and playoff teams – and then have a weighted lottery system.

For example, the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals all lost three games this season, so they’ll have the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick, but it’s not assured. The six-win New Orleans Saints could end up with the top pick, but again, their odds will be significantly worse than those four three-win teams.

Here’s what the three groups will look like for this year’s supplemental draft.

Fewer than 6 wins: Raiders, Jets, Titans, Cardinals, Giants, Browns, Commanders, Bengals, Chiefs, Saints

More than 7 wins, but missed playoffs: Cowboys, Dolphins, Colts, Ravens, Bucs, Falcons, Vikings, Lions

Playoff teams: Panthers, Packers, Steelers, Bears, Eagles, Chargers, Rams, Texans, Bills, 49ers, Jaguars, Patriots, Broncos, Seahawks

Once the order is decided, each team will place a blind bid on the players they want. They don’t know what other teams are bidding, so it really is a big risk. In this case, Sorsby will likely be the only one any team bids on, so let’s say the Browns bid a third round pick on Sorsby and win, they will then lose their third round pick in the following draft.

So, now that you know how the supplemental draft works, let’s take a look at the five teams that should target Sorsby, and how high of a pick I think they should bid.

1. Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are the No. 1 team that should bid on Brendan Sorsby in the supplemental draft, and luckily for them, there’s a real chance they end up with the top pick in the draft.

I like Jacoby Brissett, and he’ll likely be the starter this year even if they do land Sorsby, but there’s no denying Sorsby would be the most talented quarterback on their roster. Carson Beck’s alright, but when you watch Sorsby’s tape, there is so much to build on. He’s a great runner, has a massive arm that can make any throw on the field, and all he’s done is get better every single year.

Imagine Sorsby in an offense that features Trey McBride, Jeremiyah Love, Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. That would be fun. And on top of that, if they get him for a late day two or early day three pick, they can still use their first and second rounders on defense or offensive line in a class that’s supposed to be absolutely loaded.

Mike LaFleur is one of the brightest young offensive minds in the league. He passed on a quarterback this year, knowing next year’s class was going to be stacked. Well, now he has the chance to get one of the best quarterback’s in the 2027 class at a discounted price. He’s going to want in on the Sorsby sweepstakes, but the question is, how high is he willing to bid?

Higher than most, I think.

Projected Bid: 3rd Round

2. New York Jets

There is only one other team in the league that is as desperate for quarterback help as the Arizona Cardinals, and that’s the New York Jets. There are other teams that need QB help, but to me, I feel like the Sorsby sweepstakes comes down to which of these two teams get the higher pick in the lottery.

The Jets have Geno Smith and selected Cade Klubnik late in the draft, but they know neither of those guys are the long-term solution. One of the main reasons I expect the Jets to bid highly on Sorsby is because their roster isn’t half bad. There’s a good chance they end up with a pick in the 6-10 range, and then they’d have to move up to get an Arch Manning or a Dante Moore in the draft. If they secure Sorsby this year, they may not have to worry about finding their quarterback in next year’s draft, and can just take best player available.

Aaron Glenn is desperate to save his job. I don’t think Sorsby will start this year, but it would at least bring a ton of excitement to the fanbase, and sometimes that’s all you need.

I believe the Jets and Cardinals will bid a third rounder on Sorsby, but say the Cardinals land the first overall pick and the Jets believe they’re going to bid a third rounder. Will they be desperate enough to bid a second? It will be fascinating to see how it all plays out.

Projected Bid: 3rd Round

3. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns keep saying they believe they have two starting quarterbacks on their roster, but we all know the truth. Unless Deshaun Watson, who is coming off not one, but two torn Achilles, returns to his form from nearly six years ago or Shedeur Sanders takes five steps forward, neither of those guys are the future of the franchise.

If I’m the Browns, I am absolutely doing everything in my power to land Sorsby in the supplemental draft. But I don’t know if they will actually do that. Todd Monken seems to believe in his two guys, and the Browns have loaded up on picks in next year’s draft, so if they want a quarterback, there’s a good chance they end up waiting and trying to land Arch Manning or Dante Moore at the top of next year’s draft.

I still think Cleveland places a bid, but I have a hard time seeing them going any higher than a fourth. But if I were making the decision, I would place a third and see what happens, because Sorsby is a far more talented player than any QB on their roster.

Bid Projection: 4th Round

4. Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins just gave Malik Willis a three-year contract worth $22.5 million a season, but that’s basically nothing. Outside of Kirk Cousins, Willis will likely be the lowest-paid starting quarterback in the league that isn’t on a rookie deal. They can get out of that contract at any time and not really feel the ramifications from it, and there’s a good chance they’re going to have to.

This isn’t a diss on Willis. I think he’s a fine quarterback, but the Dolphins are not going to be very successful this year, and they probably won’t be much better next year. Outside of De’Von Achane, Willis doesn’t have a whole lot of weapons, so I have a hard time envisioning him being successful right away.

If I’m Miami, I’m at least placing a bid on Sorsby and seeing what happens. You either get a talented backup quarterback that will probably be your starter in the next 2-3 years, or you don’t lose a draft pick.

I don’t think they’re desperate enough to place anything higher than a fifth, but I could see them at least trying to get in on the action.

Bid Projection: 5th Round

5. Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a sneaky team that should get in on the Sorsby sweepstakes. They have J.J. McCarthy, a former top-10 pick, and Kyler Murray, a former No. 1 overall pick, on their roster, but neither guy has done anything in the past two years to suggest they’re the long-term solution in Minneapolis.

This would be the absolute perfect landing spot for Sorsby. He can sit for a year and learn behind McCarthy and Murray, play for one of the most QB-friendly head coaches in the league in Kevin O’Connell and steps into a team that has a top-five wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and a great WR2 in Jordan Addison.

I don’t see Minnesota bidding as high as Cleveland or New York, but if I were Sorsby, I’d be praying that the Vikings win the bidding war, because I think he’d have the most success as a Viking.

Bid Projection: 5th Round