Brendan Sorsby has only two options if he wants to play professional football in 2026. The 22-year-old quarterback will likely choose to sit out the entire season with hopes of being drafted into NFL or signing as a free agent.
He was denied yet another opportunity on Friday.
Sorsby, who was initially supposed to play one final season of college football at Texas Tech, is no longer allowed to return to college after he was caught gambling. Nor is he allowed to play in the National Football League or in Canada.
Brendan Sorsby won’t be allowed to play in the CFL.
The Canadian Football League released the following statement to USA Today. Its teams are not allowed to sign Brendan Sorsby for the 2026 season, which is already underway.
“Upholding the integrity of the league and ensuring fair competition are paramount to the CFL. The allegations involving Brendan Sorsby are serious and concerning. At this time, the CFL will not register a contract for him, and no team will be permitted to add him to its negotiation list.”
The 2026 CFL regular season runs over a 21-week span, from June 4 to October 24. Each of the league’s teams will play 18 games with three bye weeks. The playoffs will begin on Halloween. The championship game will be played on Nov. 15.
It is not uncommon for CFL teams to sign a new player in the middle of the season. Especially at the skill positions.
Every Canadian Football League franchise is allowed to add up to 45 players to its “negotiation list.” If any of those players (typically college athletes and NFL free agents) decide to play in The Great White North, they can only sign with the team that holds their negotiation rights. Players can be added, removed or traded by any team at any time. Any player who has already played in a CFL regular season or postseason game cannot be included on a negotiation list.
For example, the Toronto Argonauts added Shilo Sanders to its negotiation list as soon as he was cut by the Buccaneers. If he decides to play in Canada, he can only sign with Toronto.
Sorsby was the top candidate to be added to a negotiation list after the NFL chose not to hold a supplemental draft. That is no longer possible. It is not allowed. The CFL said no.
Two options remain to play football in 2026.
Now that Brendan Sorsby is not allowed to play college football or in the NFL or CFL in 2026, only two viable options remain. Well, three. Technically four…
The first option is to play junior college football. Sorsby could follow former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekker’s lead and compete for a national title at a school like Iowa Western.
The second option is to sign with one of the nontraditional professional leagues. Sorsby could sign with a team like the Massachussetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League or the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League.
The third option would require him to wait for the spring. Sorsby could sign with a team from the United Football League for the 2027 season and, if he proves his worth, sign with an NFL team in the summer.
The fourth option is to sit out the entire year. That seems like what is going to happen at this point. Sorsby will spend the fall in the gym, throw for teams during the 2027 NFL Draft cycle and hope to hear his name called or to sign as an UDFA in April.