Tim Tebow requests a try out for TE with the Jaguars
doubledragon
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Tim Tebow has requested to try out to be a tight end with the Jaguars.
ESPN analyst Tim Tebow has requested a tryout with the Jaguars at TE, in front of former coach and current neighbor Urban Meyer
While ESPN analyst Tim Tebow (seen above on First Take in 2018) finally gave up on his attempts to play professional baseball (while maintaining an ESPN career!) this February, he’s now apparently looking to return to professional football. Tebow played in the NFL as a quarterback from 2010-11 with the Denver Broncos and in 2012 with the New York Jets, and had offseason appearances with the Philadelphia Eagles (2013) and New England Patriots (2015), but hasn’t played professional football since then (despite a whole lot of talk over several years about him potentially signing with the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes, which, as predicted, amounted to absolutely nothing). But, as per his ESPN colleague Adam Schefter, Tebow is now apparently willing to play tight end (something many suggested for him throughout his first NFL stint), and has asked the Jacksonville Jaguars for a tryout at that position:
On some levels, it’s quite absurd that this is even a discussion. Tebow will be 34 in August, and hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2012, and hasn’t been playing football at any notable level since the 2015 offseason. And, in fairness, the Jaguars haven’t committed to anything here, and even a tryout wouldn’t necessarily mean much. But it’s still something that Tebow is getting a look when many others are not. And some of that certainly may be about new Jaguars’ head coach Urban Meyer, who was Tebow’s head coach at the University of Florida and now lives three houses down from him at a Jacksonville country club.
Moreover, while Rob Gronkowski did recently show that it’s possible to take time off and come back to the NFL in a notable way as a tight end, those situations aren’t equivalent. For one thing, Gronkowski always played tight end. For another, he retired after the 2018 season, then came back with Tampa Bay last year, so he spent only one season away from the NFL. Beyond that, Gronkowski will be 32 in May, so he’s almost two years younger than Tebow. And perhaps most importantly, the 6’6”, 265-pound Gronkowski is a matchup nightmare, while the 6’3”, 245-pound Tebow is not.
And yes, Gronkowski’s comeback worked out. He caught 45 passes for 623 yards and seven touchdowns during the season, and then added eight catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns (including one in Super Bowl LV in February) in the postseason. But a successful Tebow comeback seems to be at much higher levels of difficulty. There’s some logic to the Jaguars telling Tebow “Sure, we’ll take a look,” especially considering the relationship between Tebow and Meyer, and especially considering that a tryout alone provides no obligations for the team. But if this winds up going any further than that, it will deserve significant scrutiny. It’s awfully hard to believe that a 33-year-old ESPN analyst who hasn’t been in the NFL in six years and didn’t play tight end in college or professional football is a better option then the many, many talented other tight ends out there.
Comments
This has Urban Meyer written all over, these two were pretty tight at Florida, and Urban Meyer believes that Tebow is the GOAT college quarterback, he's said so. I think Tebow is only doing this because Urban Meyer is the head coach. They're even neighbors, they live three houses down from eachother! This should be interesting, yes, this has Urban Meyer written all over it, those two are pretty tight.
No, actually, Urban Meyer said Tim Tebow is the greatest college football player of all time, not just the greatest college quarterback, but the greatest college PLAYER, so these two are definitely close.
I like Tebow personally, but it's time for him to stop this nonsense.
Yes, Tebow is a nice man and I like him also. If I had to guess, I would say this has got to do with Urban Meyer being the head coach of the Jags. You know, him and Urban are pretty tight, and they've known eachother for years, and I have photos to prove it!
Being out of the league means he hasn’t had the wear and tear. His body is not that of a 10yr NFL vet, it’s that of a dude who’s been playing minor league baseball for a few years.
I’m not saying it’ll work, but bringing in a guy who is super football-smart to work with a brand new coach and QB isn’t a horrible idea. Also, Urban is going to be working hard to instill culture and who would HE want more to help with that than Tebow? Sign the guy to a Vet’s Minimum contract and throw him out there every now and then (trick plays?) and it really could work.
There will be ZERO calls to instill him as QB, so it will generate interest, but not the circus of 10yrs ago.
.........
I am a huge Tebow fan. I'd watch.
I’m an Oklahoma fan/alum. I can’t stand the guy...except he’s a good dude who I have trouble not liking.
Can you hate a guy and like him at the same time?