The Jets are going to do their homework on Brendan Sorsby before the supplemental draft, but according to a new report, they are almost certainly going to pass on the troubled quarterback prospect.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported Sunday that at least one source close to the team said the Jets “probably will not pursue” Sorsby because of the off-field concerns that have followed him out of college. The source put it bluntly: “They don’t want to deal with it.”
That is a smart call from a franchise that has spent years trying to clean up its quarterback room and finally has a head coach in Darren Mougey’s plans who wants to build something stable. Sorsby is a talent. He is also a major risk, and the Jets do not need more risk at the most important position in football.
Sorsby’s path to the supplemental draft was unusual. He sought treatment for a gambling addiction that effectively ended his college career, and now he is hoping an NFL team is willing to look past the off-field issues to take a shot on his arm. Some teams will. The Jets, based on this reporting, will not be one of them.
The argument for taking Sorsby is straightforward. He is viewed as a second-round talent on tape, and the supplemental draft typically lets teams grab players for less than they would cost in the regular draft. If the Jets believed Sorsby could be a franchise quarterback, they would be the first team in line.
The argument against is everything else. NFL teams have to factor in everything that comes with a player, not just the throws. Gambling is a particularly sensitive issue in the league right now after the wave of suspensions over the last few years, and a team like the Jets does not want to be the first to bet on a player coming off a gambling-related issue.
The character concerns are not unique to the Jets either. Cimini noted that they are not the only team that feels this way, and the Browns have been linked to similar hesitation. That is the pattern emerging around Sorsby. Teams will study him, watch the tape, and ultimately pass because the upside does not outweigh the downside.
This is a smart organizational stance for New York. The Jets do not have a long-term quarterback on the roster, which on the surface should make them a natural fit for any young arm they can get their hands on. But the franchise has spent the last decade chasing quarterback solutions through every possible avenue and watching most of them fail. Adding a player with serious off-field concerns to a position that already creates instability would be a mistake.
Mougey’s first job as the team’s general manager is to stop creating new problems. Sorsby would be a new problem. The Jets are right to study him, gather information, and then pass when other teams in the supplemental draft are willing to take the risk.
If Sorsby goes on to become a Pro Bowler somewhere else, the second-guessing will start. That is the cost of being cautious at quarterback. But the Jets have been burned by every gamble at this position for two decades, and the only path forward is to be more selective, not less.
Sorsby will find a team. He has the talent to be drafted by someone willing to bet on his recovery. The Jets are sitting this one out, and based on their history at the position, that is the correct decision.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
