Tag: NFL

Unknown date; Unknwon location, USA; FILE PHOTO; Dallas Cowboys reciever Lance Rentzel (19) on the bench during a game. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons- Imagn Images

Ex-NFL wide receiver Lance Rentzel dies at 82

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Lance Rentzel, who made headlines on and off he field during his nine NFL seasons, has died.

Media reports said he died Sunday in Alexandria, Va., with no cause of death revealed.

Rentzel was a second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings out of Oklahoma in 1965. He made his way into the franchise record books as a rookie when he returned a kickoff 101 yards, a record that lasted until 2007.

The Vikings traded Rentzel to the Dallas Cowboys in 1967 after two injury-hampered seasons and an off-field issue, and he immediately became a key player in the Tom Landry offense. He gained more than 950 yards in each of his first three seasons in Dallas, playing in all 14 games each year. And in 1969, he led the NFL with 12 touchdown receptions and an average of 22.3 yards per catch.

With the Cowboys, he also caught a touchdown pass from Dan Reeves in the “Ice Bowl” against the Green Bay Packers in 1967.

His career in Dallas ended in 1970 after his arrest on charges of exposing himself to a young girl — repeating an allegation from an incident in Minnesota in 1966. In the 1970 incident, he received a three-year suspended sentence after entering a guilty plea and was put on probation. In the 1966 case, the judge ordered psychiatric care.

Following the 1970 arrest, Rentzel was traded to the Los Angeles Rams, and his wife — singer and actress Joey Heatherton — divorced him to end their brief marriage.

He played three seasons with the Rams between 1971 and 1974. The NFL suspended him indefinitely — it lasted the 1973 season — after his conviction for possession of marijuana.

In his career, Rentzel made 268 receptions for 4,826 yards, averaging 18 yards per catch, in 115 games (84 starts). He hauled in 38 touchdowns, ran for two more and returned 32 kckoffs for 783 yards.

–Field Level Media

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Supreme Court punts NFL appeal, clears way for Brian Flores’ discrimination suit

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit against the NFL is cleared for litigation following a Supreme Court decision not to hear the league’s appeal to use closed-door arbitration to settle the matter.

Internal arbitration is part of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement with players. A ruling from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in August rendered the arbitration process improper for settling Flores’ employment matter in August, stating NFL commissioner Roger Goodell lacked the “independence” to rule under the Federal Arbitration Act.

The Supreme Court ruling was essentially the justices — minus dissenting Brett Kavanaugh — agreeing not to intervene in the matter and clearing it for trial. The NFL openly argued for their arbitration process to be applied, which would eliminate the risk of public discovery common in lawsuits that could make potentially damaging internal messaging public if heard in court.

Attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and David Gottlieb, representing Flores and the plaintiffs, celebrated the decision Tuesday.

“The NFL must now accept that its commissioner cannot be the arbitrator over discrimination claims against the league and its teams,” the legal team from Wigdor LLP said in a statement. “We look forward to litigating these claims in court.”

Flores, who is Black, filed the suit in February 2022 accusing three teams of systemic racism and discrimination. The former Miami Dolphins head coach added longtime NFL coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, both of whom are also Black, to the lawsuit two months later. Wilks was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for one season and Horton was a defensive assistant who rose to the coordinator role but not beyond.

Flores initially filed the suit against the Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos and his legal team added subpoenas for more than 25 NFL teams. The trio asserts Black coaches were denied typical opportunities afforded coaches with similar or lesser experience based on their race and denied them coaching and general manager jobs.

He also claims the Houston Texans opted to no longer pursue hiring him in retaliation for his suit filed against the league.

US Circuit Court Judge Jose Cabranes said the current NFL arbitration process “contractually provides for no independent arbitral forum, no bilateral dispute resolution, and no procedure.”

The Dolphins fired Flores following a 24-25 record in three seasons and he interviewed for vacancies with the Giants and Broncos. The Giants instead hired former Patriots assistant coach Brian Daboll. At the center of the initial suit filing was Flores’ disclosure of what he said was an accidental text message from then-Patriots coach Bill Belichick offering congratulations for receiving the Giants’ coaching job.

The NFL’s Rooney Rule mandates including a minority candidate in the interview process for head-coaching and GM openings.

Flores received the text message two days before he formally interviewed for the vacancy on Jan. 27, 2022, which he asserts was proof the Giants had already settled on hiring Daboll and brought him to New York only to be in compliance with the minority-inclusive Rooney Rule.

–Field Level Media

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Brian Flores’ lawyers subpoena 25 teams in discrimination case

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Brian Flores’ legal team is looking into the hiring practices of nearly every team in the NFL as part of his long-running discrimination suit against the league.

A court filing shows that the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator’s attorneys have subpoenaed 25 teams — in addition to the six teams that he is suing — and served more than 1,000 discovery requests, Front Office Sports first reported on Tuesday. ESPN and The Athletic confirmed the information.

Flores, who is Black, argues in his lawsuit that he was treated unfairly due to his race after being fired as head coach of the Miami Dolphins in January 2022.

He filed a civil suit against the NFL and the Dolphins, New York Giants and Denver Broncos in February 2022, arguing that those teams were “rife with racism” in their hiring and promotion of Black coaches.

Flores later added fellow coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton as co-plaintiffs, as well as the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans as defendants.

Lawyers representing the defendants filed a memo last week with U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni, the federal judge overseeing the case, that accused Flores’ team of filing “punishingly overbroad” discovery requests from their clients and “25 non-party clubs.”

The memo called the document requests a delay tactic designed to interfere with the defendants’ motions to dismiss the case altogether.

Flores, 45, is scheduled to file a third amended complaint on Wednesday. Motions to dismiss will be heard on June 15, with more briefs scheduled later this summer.

The Dolphins fired Flores after consecutive winning seasons. He was 24-25 as Miami’s head coach. He worked as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 before taking the DC post in Minnesota in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; The Christmas Day patch is seen on the jersey of Minnesota Vikings running back Zavier Scott (36) during warmups before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

NFL vows not to explore streaming deals despite White House opposition

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The NFL plans to continue offering a diversified broadcast package despite political and public criticism of the league expanding streaming opportunities with Netflix and Amazon.

“We love our model,” NFL president of media distribution Hans Schroeder said Friday, discussing the NFL’s schedule release for the 2026 regular season.

The majority of regular-season games — more than 86% — are available on free, over-the-air television via traditional broadcast partners NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX.

But Netflix carved out a slightly bigger portion of the vast single-game opportunities. The streaming giant has the first NFL regular-season game in Australia — Sept. 10 between the 49ers and Rams — a Thanksgiving Eve game and another game on Christmas Day, plus exclusive rights to the NFL awards ceremony known as NFL Honors. The annual program airs Super Bowl week from the host city with MVP, Coach of the Year and other awards handed out along with the first reveal of the year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

In 2025, Netflix averaged 27.5 million viewers for the Vikings-Lions game among only U.S. customers.

FOX and the National Association of Broadcasters opposed taking games off of network television. The Justice Department reportedly is checking into any violations or failed compliance with the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. NFL vice president of communications Jeff Miller said of the opposition, “I’m not sure I really understand where that comes from.”

He said the NFL remains fully committed to broadcasting games on network television. Schroeder said there is no reason the partners should be mutually exclusive.

“We think broadcast [networks] have been an incredible home,” he said. “And, now, we also know fans are increasingly spending their time on other platforms as well. They tune into broadcast for the NFL and that’s where we want to be. But we also want to be on these platforms with a limited amount of our games where we know our NFL fans are already as well.

“When we’re going onto Netflix, we’re going onto a platform that is already massively adopted and a huge number of viewers on that platform already, including a huge number of NFL fans.”

–Field Level Media

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

NFL Week 1 lines: Seahawks, Rams listed as favorites for 2026 openers

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Seattle Seahawks opened as minor favorites for their season-opening Super Bowl LX rematch against the New England Patriots upon the release of the full schedule for the 2026 NFL season Thursday evening.

The Seahawks, who beat the Patriots 29-13 to win their second championship on Feb. 8, open the season against New England on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in Seattle as 3.5- to 4.5-point favorites.

That kicks off a hectic opening week that will see the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers face off in Melbourne, Australia, the Giants and Cowboys square off on “Sunday Night Football” and more.

Here is a full list of odds for Week 1 of the 2026 season (all money lines from DraftKings):

Wednesday, Sept. 9

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Lumen Field, Seattle
Odds: Seahawks -3.5 (DraftKings); -4.5 (FanDuel)
Money line: Seahawks -192; Patriots +160
Total: 44.5 points (DraftKings); 45.5 points (FanDuel)

Thursday, Sept. 10

San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams
8:35 p.m. ET on Netflix, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
Odds: Rams -2.5 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Rams -155; Seahawks +130
Total: 48.5 points (DraftKings); 49.5 (FanDuel)

Sunday, Sept. 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals
1 p.m. ET on Fox, Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati
Odds: Bengals -3.5 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Bengals -198; Buccaneers +164
Total: 50.5 points (DraftKings); 51.5 points (FanDuel)

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars
1 p.m. ET on CBS, EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville
Odds: Jaguars -7 (DraftKings); -7.5 (FanDuel)
Money line: Jaguars -285; Browns +230
Total: 39.5 points (FanDuel); 40.5 points (DraftKings)

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts
1 p.m. ET on CBS, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Odds: Ravens -3.5 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Ravens -185; Colts +154
Total: 49.5 points (DraftKings and FanDuel)

New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions
1 p.m. ET on Fox, Ford Field, Detroit
Odds: Lions -7 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Lions -325; Saints +260
Total: 48.5 points (DraftKings and FanDuel)

Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
1 p.m. ET on Fox, Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
Odds: Steelers -2.5 (FanDuel); -3 (DraftKings)
Money line: Steelers -175; Falcons +145
Total: 41.5 points (FanDuel); 42.5 points (DraftKings)

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans
1 p.m. ET on CBS, Nissan Stadium, Nashville
Odds: Titans -2.5 (FanDuel); -3 (DraftKings)
Money line: Titans -170; Jets +142
Total: 38.5 points (FanDuel); 39.5 points (DraftKings)

Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
1 p.m. ET on CBS, NRG Stadium, Houston
Odds: Bills -1.5 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Bills -112; Texans -108
Total: 44.5 points (FanDuel); 45.5 points (DraftKings)

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
1 p.m. ET on Fox, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Odds: Bears -2.5 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Bears -135; Panthers +114
Total: 44.5 points (DraftKings); 45.5 points (FanDuel)

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Odds: Packers -1.5 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Packers -125; Vikings +105
Total: 44.5 points (DraftKings); 46.5 points (FanDuel)

Miami Dolphins at Las Vegas Raiders
4:25 p.m. ET on Fox, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
Odds: Raiders -3 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Raiders -180; Dolphins +150
Total: 40.5 points (FanDuel); 41.5 points (DraftKings)

Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
4:25 p.m. ET on Fox, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Odds: Eagles -4.5 (FanDuel); -5.5 (DraftKings)
Money line: Eagles -238; Commanders +195
Total: 46.5 points (DraftKings); 47.5 points (FanDuel)

Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers
4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
Odds: Chargers -9.5 (FanDuel); -11.5 (DraftKings)
Money line: Chargers -625; Cardinals +455
Total: 45.5 points (DraftKings); 46.5 points (FanDuel)

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Odds: Cowboys -2.5 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Cowboys -130; Giants +110
Total: 48.5 points (DraftKings and FanDuel)

Monday, Sept. 14

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
Odds: Chiefs -2.5 (DraftKings and FanDuel)
Money line: Chiefs -155; Broncos +130
Total: 42.5 points (DraftKings); 43.5 points (FanDuel)

–Field Level Media

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) reacts during the Super Bowl LX parade. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Super Bowl rematch and 10 other games to watch in 2026

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Not only do the Los Angeles Rams have a reasonable shot at becoming the first team to win the Super Bowl on its homefield twice, the NFC West runner-up is by far the easiest team to find on the NFL’s 2026 broadcast schedule.

Seven times the Rams are positioned for a primetime slot — tying a league record — barring a slip from contender status that would prompt networks to invoke the “flex” option and reassign Sean McVay’s team to an afternoon kickoff.

We appreciate McVay’s offensive machine as much as the next NFL fan, but let’s survey the broader landscape for the 10 games we are circling on the 2026 schedule.

1. Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, Friday, Dec. 25
Are the Packers still gutted by two heartbreaking losses to the Bears? They’ll never admit it. The drama on the field and sidelines restored one of the game’s best rivalries. Chicago’s schedule strength adds a degree of difficulty the Bears didn’t face rising from the bottom of the NFC North to a division title in Ben Johnson’s first season. The Packers had owned this series in recent years and want to pull the pendulum northward.

2. Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, Thursday, Nov. 26
Thanksgiving Day amplifies whatever the state of the Dallas Cowboys happens to be, and this one should be extra spicy. It hasn’t happened since 2014 and will be the third Turkey Day meeting between the teams. Cowboys fans are crossing their fingers the results will be better than the last time (33-10 loss in ‘14) and 1989, when the Eagles used two Randall Cunningham-to-Cris Carter TDs and Philly’s defense ransacked Troy Aikman at Texas Stadium, 27-0. Philadelphia hosts the first meeting of the 2026 season with Dallas on “Monday Night Football” in October.

3. Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 6
Josh Allen ran the AFC East for nearly a decade and Drake Maye was more than the new kid on the block in 2025. He played like an MVP candidate — even winning in Buffalo — and the Patriots went 5-1 in the division. The only loss was a 35-31 barnburner at Gillette Stadium won by the Bills on Dec. 14. It was New England’s only loss between Sept. 28 and the Super Bowl.

4. Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks, Friday, Dec. 25
Fine, we can talk Rams, too.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, the NFL wrapped up a matchup between teams who combined for 26 regular-season wins and took the division duel down to the wire last season. Lumen Field won’t be a present for the Rams, but Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay have usually done just fine in enemy territory. The game falls one week after the one-year anniversary of Seattle’s memorable fourth-quarter rally from 16 down, forced overtime and walked it off with a 38-37 victory over the Rams.

5. Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Dec. 31
Last season wasn’t a typical set of Bengals-Ravens games. The AFC North rivals split with an average margin of victory of 21 points. Rewind to 2025 and unleashed Lamar Jackson vs. bomb-happy Joe Burrow produced scores of 35-34 and 41-38 (overtime). If we get a New Year’s Eve snow game with division and playoff consequences, even better.

6. New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks, Wednesday, Sept. 9
A Wednesday night opener ahead of the Thursday Rams-49ers matchup in Australia, we’ll find out if the Patriots are better prepared for a Super Bowl rematch with months to prepare. New England oscillated from disjointed to complete disarray in the February loss to Seattle and didn’t have all oars in the water during an offseason when Mike Vrabel’s off-field, ahem, affairs were a constant talking point.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 8
Baker Mayfield vs. Caleb Williams piques our interest in a midseason “Sunday Night Football” matchup with the undercard of Buccaneers head coach and defensive maestro Todd Bowles against Bears coach and offensive brain Ben Johnson. The Bucs fell short of the postseason in 2025 for the first time since 2019, while the Bears are trending upward after the franchise won a playoff game (well, two of them, actually) in January to snap a 15-year drought dating to 2011.

8. Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks, Monday, Dec. 7
Crossover games with the NFC West add a degree of difficulty to the Dallas schedule this season. While we wait to offer judgment on the revamped defense, the Cowboys are likely to bring all the smoke to test Seattle’s versatile, attacking defense in a game sandwiched between matchups with the Eagles and Rams for Dallas.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos, Sunday, Sept. 20
Some called the Denver AFC West run last season but far fewer anticipated Jacksonville winning 13 games and dealing the Broncos one of the team’s three regular-season losses. First-year head coach Liam Coen reflects many of Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s qualities as a play-caller and designer, adding built-in entertainment value.

10. San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Dec. 27
What will the 49ers have left in the tank? San Francisco is setting a record for miles traveled in a season thanks to international treks to Mexico and Australia and the closing stretch for the 49ers is some kind of minefield from NFL schedulers. Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy are familiar foes but 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has not beaten Andy Reid as a head coach (0-3). Two of those losses were agonizing Super Bowl defeats (LIV, 2020 and LVIII, 2024). After falling short of historical track and expectations in 2025, is the window closed on one or both of these longtime contenders?

–Field Level Media

Oct 13, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Fans of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) watch in the second half during an NFL International Series game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jaguars, 49ers both playing 2 international games

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The NFL revealed the matchups for all nine international games on Wednesday with the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers both playing two contests.

The league’s most ambitious global schedule to date stretches across seven countries and four continents, starting with the NFL’s Australia debut in Week 1 between the 49ers and NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne on Sept. 10.

The action moves to Brazil in Week 3 with the Baltimore Ravens facing the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 27 in Rio de Janeiro.

The London schedule begins in Week 4 with the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders squaring off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 4.

The Philadelphia Eagles take on the Jaguars at the same venue in Week 5 on Oct. 11.

The Jaguars will stay in town for a Week 6 AFC South clash with the Houton Texans at London’s Wembley Stadium on Oct. 18.

The NFL makes its first trip to Paris in Week 7 as the Pittsburgh Steelers meet the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 25.

The league’s second trip to Spain takes place in Week 9 with the Cincinnati Bengals battling the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 8 in Madrid.

Next up is Germany, where the New England Patriots meet the Detroit Lions in Week 10 on Nov. 15 in Munich.

The final international offering features the Minnesota Vikings and 49ers in Mexico City in Week 11 on Nov. 22.

The league releases the full regular-season schedule on Thursday.

–Field Level Media

Construction crews install the first panels on the stadium exterior as work continues on the Buffalo Bills new stadium, across the street from their current home at Highmark Stadium, in Orchard Park, NY Thursday, July 10, 2025.

Bills to open Highmark Stadium Week 2 against Lions

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The NFL announced Monday the Buffalo Bills will play their first home game at newly constructed Highmark Stadium on Sept 17, Week 2 of the 2026 season, against the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.

The game will stream exclusively on Prime Video but will be made available locally in Buffalo on a channel to be determined.

The $2.1 billion facility is open-air but has a canopy covering 64% of the crowd, according to ESPN. The Bills will be playing on grass, which can be heated, instead of turf, and the first row on one of the sidelines will be moved 54 feet closer to the field.

Highmark Stadium will be open for events this summer, including Buffalo’s Blue & Red practice during training camp.

The Bills played at their previous home, originally named Rich Stadium, since 1973. It was re-named Highmark Stadium in 2021. Buffalo has won its last four home openers.

The Bills went 12-5 last season, losing to the Broncos in overtime during the AFC Divisional Playoffs. Detroit missed the playoffs, finishing 9-8.

The NFL’s full 2026 schedule will be released at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday during a two-hour special on ESPN and NFL Network.

–Field Level Media

Brendan Sorsby looks to throw during the Texas Tech football team's spring game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Reports: NFL teams evaluating Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is fighting for his college eligibility, but if Plan B becomes the preferred route, several NFL teams are expected to have interest in selecting him in the supplemental draft.

Sorsby transferred from Cincinnati in the offseason and participated in spring practice with his new team but might never take the field for the Red Raiders in the regular season as the NCAA investigates allegations of rampant betting. The NCAA prohibits athletes and employees from wagering on NCAA events in which a championship is held, which includes football.

ESPN and Cleveland.com reported that teams are doing their due diligence to determine if Sorsby would have value should he enter the supplemental draft by the June 30 deadline.

Sorsby reportedly made bets on Major League Baseball and college football games, and allegedly wagered on Indiana football while he was a redshirt for the Hoosiers in 2022.

Sorsby was highly productive once he got on the field. He had 15 TD passes as a redshirt freshman at Indiana in 2023. Over three total seasons for the Hoosiers and Bearcats (2024-25), Sorsby had 82 total touchdowns (22 rushing) and 17 interceptions.

He threw 27 TDs and five interceptions for Cincinnati last season.

A supplemental draft was last held in 2019. Created in 1977, it was launched to give players with “sudden eligibility changes” a ladder from college to the NFL. However, the league would likely closely review the investigation into Sorsby’s off-field activity before determining whether to hold the special draft in July.

Texas Tech said he would enter a treatment program for a gambling addiction and take an indefinite leave of absence from the team and hired Jeffrey Kessler to try to regain his college eligibility. A prominent sports law attorney, Kessler was lead attorney in the House vs. NCAA case approved in June 2025 that led to revenue sharing in college athletics. Schools were able to share $20.5 million with athletes beginning last July 1, with the amount increasing annually.

Kessler represented the NFL Players Association on behalf of players such as Tom Brady, Ezekiel Elliott, Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice.

Sorsby has placed more than 10,000 sports wagers since 2022, according to a report from On3. He was averaging as many as 20 bets per day on a variety of different sportsbook apps across multiple states, per the report.

Legendary Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar (1985), Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter (1987) and Jets and Cardinals wide receiver Rob Moore (1990) are among the most notable players to enter the NFL via the supplemental draft.

–Field Level Media

Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; NFL line judge Jeff Seeman (left) and referee Shawn Smith (14) discuss a call during the fourth quarter between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Report: NFL referees union schedules vote on new CBA

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The NFL Referees Association has scheduled a vote for Thursday night on ratifying a new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL, ESPN reported on Tuesday.

Negotiations between the league and union have progressed, according to the report, with the current CBA slated to expire on May 31. Specifics on the agreement were not yet known, with the league declining comment to ESPN and the NFLRA not immediately responding to a request.

Two years of negotiations had led only to a stalemate last winter and the NFL preparing for the prospect of replacement referees for the 2026 season. The league reportedly began compiling a list of replacements — mostly from the low-college ranks — and plans to start training them by May.

Both the NFL Players Association and the NFLRA voiced concerns last month about player safety if replacement referees were used.

As recently as a month ago, league sources told ESPN that owners were “alarmed” by the current state of the negotiations with the NFLRA. One source said it would take “an act of God” to bridge the economic gaps between the two sides before the CBA expires.

The league had offered a six-year deal with an average annual raise of 6.45%, per ESPN. The average NFL official earned $385,000 in 2025.

NFL owners in late March approved a one-year change to the rulebook in regard to officiating. If replacement referees are used in a game during the upcoming season, the league’s command center in New York can adjust any calls made or not made by officials on the field in real time.

Changes can be made to both calls that were missed on the field and calls that were made but deemed incorrect.

If the CBA is fully ratified by May 31, the new rules would not apply.

In a 2012 game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks with replacement officials, the Seahawks won on a last-second pass to the end zone where players from both teams were deemed to have simultaneous possession. But the NFL later admitted that a Seahawks offensive pass interference penalty was missed that would have given the Packers the victory.

After using replacement officials for the first two weeks of the 2012 season, the league ended the lockout of officials two days after the Packers-Seahawks game.

–Field Level Media