Brendan Sorsby’s lawyer says exclusion from NFL supplemental draft violates the CBA

The NFL’s decision to keep quarterback Brendan Sorsby out of the supplemental draft has prompted an immediate legal response, with his attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, saying the exclusion violates the league’s collective bargaining agreement. According to the report, Kessler is prepared to fight the NFL’s ruling after the league denied Sorsby’s application.

Supplemental drafts are built for a narrow path in which players can be considered outside the standard annual process. When the league declines an application, it can shift the timeline for how a player’s rights are handled and how quickly he can be integrated into team plans. In this case, the dispute is not about a game or a transaction already completed, but about access to the draft itself.

Kessler’s position, as characterized by the report, is that the NFL “slammed the door” on Sorsby’s application in a way that conflicts with the CBA. The key point is that the matter is being framed as contract interpretation, not as an evaluation of football talent.

For the NFL, the supplemental draft is one of the few mechanisms that can create additional roster options while still operating within the league’s negotiated labor framework. For players and their representatives, the CBA language is the foundation for understanding what procedures are available and what rights apply when applications are reviewed.

The procedural posture matters going forward. If Kessler escalates the challenge, the dispute may require league and union positions on what standards govern eligibility and application review under the CBA. Even before a merits decision, the NFL will likely emphasize its authority to administer the supplemental process within the rules it administers.

The immediate impact on Sorsby is uncertainty. Until the dispute is resolved, he could be left outside the supplemental-draft channel that would otherwise offer a clearer path to NFL rights assignment. At the same time, teams will have to weigh how much attention to devote to a player while the league-level process remains contested.

What to watch next is whether the NFL acknowledges additional procedural details publicly or whether the matter moves quickly into arbitration or court. Also watch for any broader clarification, because a ruling on the CBA interpretation could affect how future supplemental-draft applications are handled, beyond just one quarterback’s situation.