National Football League

Tim Tebow-mania in full swing after the new tight end officially signs Jaguars contract

Published May. 20, 2021 4:31 p.m. ET

It's official: Tim Tebow is back in the NFL.

For the first time since 2012, the former quarterback is back with an NFL team, this time suiting up as a tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"I know it will be a challenge, but it is a challenge I embrace," the 33-year-old Tebow said in Thursday's announcement, via the team's website.

Fans were even treated to their first glimpse of the new signing, as he took the field for voluntary offseason workouts.

Tebow was sporting the No. 85 jersey, a change from the No. 15 he wore in college at Florida, in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets, and wore most often during his stint as a professional baseball player in the New York Mets organization.

Tebow did wear No. 85 at spring training with the Mets in 2020, though.

The No. 15 jersey in Jacksonville currently belongs to Gardner Minshew II, so Tebow would have to work something out there if he wanted his old number back.

Either way, it's not often that a fringe tight end's jersey is made available for purchase the day he signs with the team ⁠– let alone displaces a rookie No. 1 overall pick and franchise quarterback's jersey to headline the team's online shop ⁠– but such is the power of Tebowmania.

It's that kind of excitement that has Brandon Marshall of "First Things First" absolutely fired up for the move.

"This is great!" Marshall said. "… The Jaguars, five years ago, six years ago, were considering going to London to play games over there. That's what they were thinking about."

While the notion of the Jags relocating across the pond had quieted even prior the Tebow's signing, he does bring a massive amount of attention to the team.

Commercial opportunities go hand-in-hand with that attention, as evidenced by the jersey display above.

Marcellus Wiley of "Speak For Yourself" also agreed that Tebow will be a boon for the ticket office.

Beyond that, though, Wiley said he could see Tebow giving opposing defenses more to think about when he's on the field.

"On the field, he rigs the math," Wiley explained. "Whatever position Tim Tebow is going to play, defensive coordinators are going to say ‘OK, be careful. The guy can throw, as well as run, as well as [be] a big body out there. So, it’s just going to make defenders think a little more than the average tight end."

Others around the media landscape aren't as bullish as Wiley.

As far as Tebow's on-field impact goes, that's where new head coach Urban Meyer's decision to bring Tebow aboard is raising more eyebrows.

A week ago, one of Tebow's former teammates with the Jets, Greg McElroy, said he has already seen Tebow try to play tight end.

It didn't work out, by McElroy's account, and the media attention Tebow demands could cause a strain on the Jaguars locker room.

"They tried to switch him to tight end and he wasn’t good," McElroy chuckled. "That’s what people don’t acknowledge. … Tim is a good dude and I hope the best for him. But it’s a sideshow, and that's what it will be, come training camp time.

"… As a result, it’s going to affect locker room chemistry, just like it did for us with the Jets," McElroy continued. "Not because anyone had any animosity toward Tim, they just had animosity toward the coverage that Tim receives. So, I think it’s a stupid move."

To really get an idea of how polarizing Tebow is, look at how Keyshawn Johnson reacted to the breaking news while taping his ESPN show.

As Johnson briefly walked off the set, his cohost, Jay Williams, applauded and cheered "Good for you, Tim!"

But will it be good for the Jags?

Shannon Sharpe of "Undisputed" can't see it working out for Jacksonville and couldn't help but point to an air of nepotism as Meyer reunited with the player he coached in college.

"Tim Tebow can't play no tight end," Sharpe, a Hall of Famer at the position, said. "And it's going to rub guys the wrong way because professional sports is supposed to be the last bastion … on the field, on the court, on the diamond, where nothing else matters but your ability. Not who you know."

Shannon Sharpe: Jags officially signing Tim Tebow is going to rub people wrong in the Jacksonville organization | UNDISPUTED

Hear what Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe have to say about the Jaguars' official decision to sign Tim Tebow.

Nobody can be certain how good Tebow will be with the Jags, or how long his tenure will last, but one thing is for certain: It will garner plenty of media attention.

And maybe, that's exactly what Jacksonville wants.

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