Tim Tebow: 7 Places He Could Play Next Season
By Josh Hill
Whether you’re a Tebow-maniac, a Tebow hater or you just don’t care about him, a fact of life we all have to deal with is that where Tebow plays next season will be one of the biggest topics of conversation this NFL offseason. We all know two places he won’t play: New York and Denver. But while he’s quickly falling out of favor among his biggest fans (*cough* ESPN *cough*), Tebow may still have something to prove.
The only question is, who’s willing to mortgage the next season to see if he’s really got something in him, or if he’s truly been the faulty manufactured product of a major sports network.
Nevertheless, someone is going to sign Tebow. The question is who.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are a “virtual certainty” in terms of Tebow destinations, but that depends on who you listen to. ESPN says yes, yes, yes while historically the Jaguars front office has channeled their inner Amy Winehouse and said no, no, no.
But the Jaguars are, as of right now, the top place for Tebow to play next year. This is really only because they’ve shown some mild interest in him in the past and we all need a place to start. Jacksonville currently has Blaine Gabbert under contract and they spent a reasonably high draft pick on him a year ago, so to think they’d want to replace him with a guy that’s only half qualified is asinine to consider.
At the very least the jaguars bring Tebow in, sell out some meaningless preseason games with Tebow fanatics making a short drive from Gainesville, and then they cut him. As much as people want to believe it, Tebow simply does not fit in Jacksonville.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo has stated recently that they will be looking into signing a quarterback to usurp Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter. While the popular choice at the moment is a tie between Alex Smith and Micheal Vick, Tebow is a dark horse to get a shot at the job in Buffalo.
Currently there’s no one challenging Fitzpatrick for the job, which is both good and bad news for Tebow. The good news would seemingly be the less competition there is, the better the chance is he starts. But Tebow thought that was the case when he came to the Jets, and he’s been officially passed over as the starter.
Another thing counting against Tebow is the climate. He had success in Florida with the Gators but has struggled in cold weather environments like Denver and New York. In case you’re not up on your geography, Buffalo is in New York and it’s not very warm there in the winters. Tebow is a cute idea in Buffalo but he’s not a very good fit.
Minnesota Vikings
Vikings fans are clamoring to get rid of the anti-Christ that seems to be Christian Ponder. He was cut slack earlier this year, but recently he’s the scape-goat for when Minnesota struggles and his horrible stats aren’t helping to bail him out.
But Tebow fans calling for a move to Minnesota need to remember one important and fatal flaw: one Joseph Webb.
Joe Webb’s name is constantly called on by Vikings fans, but he’s not a franchise quarterback. Why is this bad news for Tebow? Because he’s the virtually the same guy as Webb expect he’s less talented. Webb’s biggest weapon is his legs, and while he has a moderate arm, it’s nothing special. Tebow’s biggest weapon is his legs but he’s a below average passer at the moment.
To put it in terms simple enough for Vikings fans: If you hate Christian Ponder, he’s twice the thrower that Tebow is.
So just picture that.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This one is a long shot, but at this point every place is a long shot. Tebow returning to Florida will be a best case scenario for him and if that means playing behind Josh Freeman, that’s what it means. But Freeman has been starting to wear out his welcome in Tampa and if he struggles next season he could be done in Tampa.
What this means is there could be an opening at quarterback soon.
Maybe what Tebow needs is a swift kick in the ass from a coach that clearly isn’t afraid to be domineering. Greg Schiano is a polarizing love/hate type of coach but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that he doesn’t mince his words and he doesn’t take any crap. Freeman is quickly regressing to Tebow’s level of play and if it becomes a fair race, Tebow might not be a bad horse to bet on in Tampa.
After all, it has an insane running game, a growing defense and massive targets that Tebow can’t possibly miss.