Tim Tebow hasn’t taken an NFL snap in nearly nine years. His last appearance was on December 30th, 2012. Then, as a member of the New York Jets, Tebow played in one snap during a 28-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills. However, at the age of 33, Tebow is close to an NFL return.
And this time, he’ll be playing tight end. The NFL Network is reporting that the Jacksonville Jaguars plan to sign Tebow to a one-year deal.
When news broke of Tebow’s interest in playing for the Jaguars, I didn’t think much of it. After all, as mentioned above, Tebow’s last NFL snap was in 2012. And this was after signing deals with the New England Patriots (2012) and Philadelphia Eagles (2015), respectively. Tebow didn’t touch the field with those teams for one reason and one reason only.
He’s not any good. Scratch that; he’s worse than not good. Tebow was borderline trash, by league standards. Basura. Dumpster juice. You can think of any non-sexy adjective to describe Tebow’s NFL career, and it’s applicable. Outside of a stroke of extreme luck in the 2011 NFL playoffs, Tebow has had no success in the NFL.
Here are some interesting Tebow stats. He threw for 2,422 yards, 17 touchdowns, 12 rushing touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
If you conversed with someone about Tebow and heard those numbers, it’s safe to surmise you’d wonder which season Tebow tallied those totals. Well, here’s the thing. These are Tebow’s NFL career totals. Again, by league standards, that’d make him a bonafide scrub. Heck, these numbers scream scrub, regardless of the level of football played.
Yet, Tebow gets another shot. And there are so many things alarming about it. Firstly, Tebow getting another shot opens the discussion about privilege. While it’s not a discussion I plan to engage in, it’s hard to ignore. Tim Tebow has proven he’s not a good NFL player. Yet, he gets another shot while guys like Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, and even Colin Kaepernick found themselves out of the league prematurely. And it had nothing to do with skill, but because people didn’t like their attitudes or stance on social injustice issues. Their “game” was never in question.
Secondly, Tebow potentially signing with the Jaguars proves one thing. And that’s who you know matters more than how good you are. At least in the NFL’s case. While Tebow hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2012, he’s never played an NFL snap as a tight end. So how does he get a shot?
Well, who is the coach of the Jaguars? That’s right!
It’s Tebow’s former college coach, Urban Meyer. Meyer coached Tebow at the University of Florida. They’ve won national titles together, and Meyer also coached Tebow to winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007. So that bond is tight. And it’s because of that bond that Tebow can leapfrog so many more deserving players than him. Tebow receiving another chance in the NFL at this stage is a slap in the face to those guys. Jesse James is still a free agent. Is he the best Tight End available? Not necessarily. However, he’s proven he can play the position at a high level.
Tebow has not proved that.
The Jaguars have yet to officially ink Tebow. So there’s a chance this whole deal falls through. Nonetheless, when it becomes official, it reminds us of one thing. And that’s NFL teams sometimes just make stupid moves that make no sense. Tim Tebow becoming a Jacksonville Jaguar would only be the latest example.
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