The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly are planning to sign Tim Tebow to a one-year contract, with an eye toward turning the former NFL quarterback into a tight end.
However, the decision apparently isn’t sitting well with everyone in the organization.
While Urban Meyer, entering his first season as an NFL head coach, is very familiar with Tebow from their time together at the University of Florida and presumably believes the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner would provide excellent leadership qualities in Jacksonville, there reportedly are others questioning the benefit of signing a 33-year-old ex-QB who hasn’t played in the league since 2012.
“There’s a serious disagreement within the building about the idea of Urban Meyer signing Tim Tebow,” NFL reporter Jeff Darlington said on Tuesday’s episode of “Get Up” on ESPN. “There are coaches on that staff who don’t wanna see it happen. There are also, in the same breath, those who are saying, ‘It’s not that big of a deal. He’s probably not gonna be on the roster Week 1.’ To which you would say, ‘Then why do it at all?’
“It is just also important to remember that beyond the emotional side of this, beyond the wonders of why, is just the reality that it’s really not practical. It’s not likely to work and it doesn’t necessarily — Urban Meyer, I think, would say, ‘Well, hey, I’m going to add anybody to my team that has the potential to better this organization.’ To which you could look at this and say, ‘Well, how is this going to better the organization?’ There’s just really not very much upside at all, to be quite honest.”
Tebow is a great athlete. There’s no denying that. Not only did he win two national championships with the Gators. He’s also won a playoff game as an NFL quarterback. And he spent five seasons playing Minor League Baseball in the New York Mets farm system.
But Tebow turns 34 in August. It’s far-fetched to think he can become an impactful tight end at this stage of his professional career. Plus, so much has changed since he took the Florida campus by storm on Meyer’s watch well over a decade ago. Can he really galvanize a locker room like before?
“When you cite the résumé, when you talk about all of these things, it sounds pretty wild, and that certainly is the mindset of those in the Jaguars building,” Darlington said Tuesday on ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” as transcribed by Bleacher Report. “Not everybody — obviously Urban Meyer is the one behind all of this — but not everybody in the Jaguars building is thrilled with this. They don’t think that it necessarily sends the proper message to the rest of the team in the locker room and the guys trying to make this team. Urban Meyer, though, is quite the opposite. They said this can be a ‘cultural jolt’ in the locker room to kind of send a message that Urban wants.”
The Jaguars just selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence — one of the most highly regarded QB prospects ever — with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. There’s plenty to be excited about as it pertains to Jacksonville’s future.
But the Tebow drama? Eh, Meyer might’ve unnecessarily opened a can of worms.
