Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer are apparently getting back together, this time in the NFL.
The
former Florida star and 2007 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is
expected to team up with his college coach by signing a one-year
contract to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL Network reported
Monday.
The league-owned network said the deal “could be official in the next week or so.”
The
33-year-old Tebow would be returning to the NFL after four years
(2016-19) in the
New York Mets’ organization and he’d be playing for
Meyer for the first time since his senior year in 2009.
New York Mets' Tim Tebow during a spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday, Feb 22, 2020, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The Marlins won 5-3. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis)
This reunion would come with a twist, though.
Tebow
would be joining the Jaguars as a tight end. He switched positions
after retiring from baseball in February. He worked out for Jacksonville
a week later.
Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke are seemingly waiting until after this weekend’s rookie minicamp to get the deal done.
Tebow,
who grew up in Jacksonville, could fill a huge hole with his hometown
team. The Jaguars decided not to pick up a team option in veteran Tyler
Eifert’s contract and traded oft-injured 2019 draft pick Josh Oliver to
Baltimore. They signed run-blocking specialist Chris Manhertz in free
agency, brought back James O’Shaughnessy and drafted Ohio State’s Luke
Farrell in the fifth round.
Those
were considered minor moves after Meyer vowed to completely revamp the
position group. Tebow, at the very least, would provide a splash.
In this Nov. 1, 2008, file photo, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, left, and coach Urban Meyer celebrate in the fourth quarter against Georgia during an NCAA college football game in Jacksonville, Fla. Florida beat Georgia 49-10, the season after Georgia defeated Florida 42-30. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton, File)
“That
will be interesting to see how that contributes to us on offense,”
Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan said recently. “Obviously Urban knows Tim
really well, and Tim’s got a great history of winning. Urban really
believes he can help us, and I think it makes a lot of sense. And it’s a
position where we need to get better.”
But
how much can a guy on the wrong side of 30 who’s never played the
position bring to the team? Tebow’s value could mean as much off the
field as on it.
Meyer
has said repeatedly that signing players who already know his
methodology would be helpful in Year 1. Tebow would become the sixth guy
on Jacksonville’s roster who previously played for Meyer, joining
Farrell, running back Carlos Hyde, guard Andrew Norwell, defensive end
Lerentee McCray and defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton.
Tebow
played quarterback for Meyer between 2006 and 2009, helping the Gators
win two national championships while becoming one of the most
recognizable — and polarizing — athletes in college sports.
He
was a first-round draft pick by Denver in 2010, but his long windup led
to a short NFL career. He spent time with the Broncos, the New York
Jets, New England and Philadelphia. His last NFL game came with the Jets
in 2012.
They
cut him in April 2013, three months after then-Jaguars general manager
Dave Caldwell famously said he wouldn’t sign Tebow “even if he’s
released.”
Tebow
has received rock-star media coverage at every NFL stop and might get
as much attention in Jacksonville as franchise quarterback Trevor
Lawrence, the top pick in the 2021 draft.
Tebow
won a playoff game with Denver in 2012, but never developed into a
consistent NFL starter. He declined several suggested moves to tight end
— he even asked Meyer for guidance — and then ended up switching sports
and joining the Mets.
“When
he was a quarterback in the NFL, that was a big topic,” Meyer said at
the end of the draft. “I was so busy I couldn’t give him the time. ‘What
do you think? What do you think?’ And I didn’t know. I was too busy to
even think it through.
“I know playing a position in the NFL without (experience), that’s a long shot. This was years ago.”
But
when Tebow asked about an NFL comeback in February, Meyer invited him
to the facility for a workout. Meyer made it clear he didn’t feel like
he owed Tebow anything, either.
“I
have one job and that is to win games with the Jacksonville Jaguars,”
Meyer said. “If Tim Tebow or Travis Etienne can help us win, then that’s
my job to get them ready to go play.”
By MARK LONG
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