When Urban Meyer became the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in January, many people joked that it would only be a matter of time until the Jaguars signed Tim Tebow.
Now, it's actually happening.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Jaguars are planning to sign Tebow – who's now a tight end – to a one-year deal.
The #Jaguars are planning to sign QB-turned-TE Tim Tebow to a 1-year deal, per me and @TomPelissero, a deal that could be official in the next week or so. Nothing done yet. But hell have a chance to make the team to reunite with his mentor and college head coach Urban Meyer.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 10, 2021
At Florida, Tebow and Meyer were as successful as any quarterback-coach pairing in the history of college football, as they won national championships in 2006 and 2008 while Tebow won the Heisman Trophy in 2007. They've continued to maintain a close relationship ever since – Meyer and his wife just purchased a house in Tebow's neighborhood – and Meyer frequently pointed to Tebow as an example for his players even when he was at Ohio State.
That said, Tebow hasn't played in an NFL regular-season game since 2012, and he hasn't played tight end since high school. He spent the past five years playing minor league baseball in the New York Mets' organization, ultimately making it to the AAA level but never making it to the major leagues.
At 33 years old, can Tebow really make it back in the NFL while transitioning to a new position? There's reason to be skeptical, though former Ohio State tight end Luke Farrell – who's also now playing for Meyer in Jacksonville – said after he was drafted that he'd love to have the opportunity to play with Tebow.
“I definitely would not mind having that guy in my room,” Farrell said.
Should Meyer be interested in giving any of his other former quarterbacks another chance to play in the league, J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller are all currently NFL free agents.
