Tebow-Meyer Reunion to Happen Reportedly
Monday, May 10, 2021 | Football, Scott Carter
Their reunion is making an impression, too.
When news broke Monday via NFL Network reporters Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero that the Jacksonville Jaguars plan to sign Tebow to a one-year contract in the next few days, Tebowmania was once again alive and well on social media. More than 11 years have passed since that night in New Orleans when Tebow, in his final game for the Gators, and Meyer, in his next-to-last season at Florida, celebrated a rout of Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl following the 2009 season.
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 he'll have a chance to make the team to reunite with his mentor and college head coach Urban Meyer.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 10, 2021
Tebow completed 31 of 35 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns that night.
"He's a winner and he'll win at the next level, too,'' Meyer said afterward. "That's the way I feel about it."
In his first year as Jacksonville's head coach, Meyer clearly still feels the same way about Tebow, now a 33-year-old who last played in the NFL in 2015.
Tebow recently worked out as a tight end with the Jaguars in days leading up to the NFL draft, which brought Tebow back into the spotlight as an athlete rather than motivational speaker and TV analyst.
Tebow spent time with the Broncos, Patriots and Eagles as a quarterback before switching to baseball and climbing as far as Triple-A in the New York Mets' farm system. He retired from baseball earlier this year and is now ready to put on a different kind of helmet.
Tebow last played a regular-season game in 2012.
Tim Tebow is rich & famous & on TV & the easy thing to do is to continue to do that. But he didn't give up his dream. So now he's going to challenge himself in a situation where success is definitely not guaranteed. Honestly, I admire the hell out of that and I'm rooting for him.
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) May 10, 2021
According to the NFL Network, Jacksonville is thin at tight end. Blocking TE Chris Manhertz sits atop the depth chart, and rookie fifth-rounder Luke Farrell could be in line for a sizable role. James O'Shaughnessy, Tyler Davis, and Ben Ellefson fill out the position, which is set to add Tebow as he attempts to reboot his NFL career. Tebow turns 34 in August.
Speculation that Meyer would try and sign Tebow surfaced as soon as the former Gators head coach landed in Jacksonville in his first job as an NFL head coach. That speculation seemed far-fetched until reports earlier this month surfaced about Tebow working out for the Jaguars.
"I have one job and that is to win games with the Jacksonville Jaguars," Meyer said recently. "If Tim Tebow or Travis Etienne can help us win, then that's my job to get them ready to go play. That decision is certainly not made yet."
Based on Monday's reports, that decision has now been made.
Who knows if Tebow and Meyer can recapture some of the magic they created at Florida. Tebow's role certainly won't be as big, but if he has any role and finds success, what a story the Jaguars will be this fall.
