Well, that’s it for the Brendan Sorsby theory in the Twin Cities. He won’t be a Vikings QB anytime soon.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarified that the NFL won’t be conducting its supplemental draft, effectively ending the pathway for Sorsby to turn pro: “Just in: NFL is declining to hold a supplemental draft this summer, currently leaving the 2027 Draft as the only way for QB Brendan Sorsby to enter the NFL. A letter is being sent to Sorsby, and to all 32 NFL teams, to inform them of the league’s decision. The league continues to try to show it has little tolerance for gambling issues.”

Vikings QB Idea is Kaput

Safe to say that the Sorsby news has created a ruckus. People are noticing that the NFL has slammed the door shut on a promising young passer.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated offered a take: “I can’t remember the NFL ever denying a player entry to the supplemental draft. They’ve let guys in who were ruled ineligible because of drugs (Josh Gordon), NCAA rule-breaking (Terrelle Pryor) and grades (Ahmad Brooks), over and over. Clearly, the NFL is drawing a line here.”

Check out what Dane Brugler — draft nerd for The Athletic — had to say: “NFL declining to hold a Supplemental Draft is a major curveball to the Brendan Sorsby saga. To sum it up: the NFL felt there wasn’t enough time for the league and teams to fully vet everything. The NFL also said that Sorsby did NOT ‘demonstrate accountability’ for his conduct.”

Some people think that the NFL is all about winning. That (misguided) assumption then leads to the belief that quarterbacks are the most precious commodity in the league. Neither belief is true.

What the NFL values above everything else is money. Sometimes, the saying is said so commonly that it gets drained of meaning, but the NFL truly is a business. Kirk Cousins was therefore onto something when he annually pushed for fully-guaranteed deals as a way of ensuring his team was committed to him. A team that will put its money where its mouth is is serious about a passer.

Sorsby is talented enough to be in the NFL. Where he falls short is in his gambling. Threatening the league’s gold is a surefire way to undermine a career since nothing is more sacred in football.

Consider what Jeff Diamond had to say in his recent piece for Vikings Territory: “Sorsby signed with Texas Tech this year only to be implicated in a scandal that involved placing at least 40 bets on his own team while at Indiana and was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for placing more than 9,000 bets for at least $90,000 while a college player. He was granted reinstatement by a Texas judge before the Big 12 raised a ruckus and Sorsby ultimately applied for the NFL supplemental draft.”

More from Mr. Diamond: “He’s a big QB with a strong arm and running ability who most scouts rate as a first, second, or third-round talent. The big questions are if he’s kicked his gambling habit, whether the NFL will suspend him upon entering the league, how long that suspension would be, and if there are teams willing to risk a premium draft pick (that would be then deducted from their 2027 draft choices) if they select him.”

As many have commented, the NFL has indeed clarified what’s a no-fly zone. Essentially anything can be forgiven but don’t get in the way of the money.

The Vikings QB position is rallying around Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Inserting Sorbsy into the mix was always unlikely but it’s hard to discount what a team will do when a highly-gifted young fella can be had for a discounted price. No team, Vikings included, will be allowed to jump into the mix since the NFL has intervened.

Vikings training camp begins in roughly a month.