Tebow, a New York Jet for a single season, will reportedly return to play for his college coach in Jacksonville, albeit as a tight end.
This fall, a legendary college football quarterback and first-round pick could well be making his debut in Jacksonville.
Now imagine if there were two of them.
That well could be the case for the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the team is reportedly set to sign former New York Jets passer Tim Tebow. A report from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero dictates that Tebow is set to sign a one-year deal but will move over to tight end.
Should Tebow make the Jaguars’ Week 1 roster, he would be partaking in his first NFL regular season action since December 2012, the last stages of his only year with the Jets. The accoladed Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion at Florida was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010 with the 25th overall choice.
Despite less than impressive box scores, Tebow took the NFL by storm as the Denver starter in 2011, leading the Broncos to an AFC West title through several come-from-behind victories, including a nationally televised triumph over the Jets. Denver topped Pittsburgh in the AFC Wild Card playoffs through Tebow’s game-winning touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas before falling to New England.
The magic wasn’t enough to stop Denver from adding free agent Peyton Manning, so Tebow was traded to the Jets for a fourth and sixth-round pick. His arrival brought unprecedented and at times overwhelming media coverage to New York, a situation unaided by inconsistent play from incumbent starter Mark Sanchez. Tebow was instead mostly used on special teams and the Wildcat formation, completing 6-of-8 passes for 39 yards while adding 102 on the ground. The Jets released Tebow after his only season.
Tebow later appeared in the New England and Philadelphia’s training camps before embarking on a baseball career. He spent four years in the New York Mets’ system, most recently appearing on the team’s AAA affiliate in Syracuse in 2019. Tebow was set to represent his native Philippines in qualification for the 2021 World Baseball Classic, but the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing health crisis.
Former Jets special teams coordinator spoke about Tebow’s time with the team in 2013. While he called the situation and its subsequent handling “a mess”, he praised Tebow’s work ethic in their brief time together.
“I absolutely loved him,” Westhoff told WFAN’s Mike Francesa. “I have tremendous respect for him. “I enjoyed listening to him talk about his college career and things that happened wherever…he’d be the first one on the field, the last one off. So for it to go awry, that was obviously very disappointing.”
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
