Philadelphia Eagles sign former Florida QB Tim Tebow
The SEC Network may need to find a replacement.
The rest of the country may need to get used to a certain quarterback wearing No. 17.
The Philadelphia Eagles plan to sign former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow on Monday, multiple sites are reporting.
Scoopage: The Eagles are plannng to bring in Tim Tebow and sign him tomorrow as they begin their offseason program FOX SPORTS has learned
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) April 19, 2015
Tebow hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2012, and recently wasn’t invited to the NFL’s first-ever veteran Combine despite expressing interest.
RELATED: Tim Tebow not giving up on NFL career
The former first-round pick of the Denver Broncos led the team to a playoff win in his only season as a full-time starter in 2011. He then signed with the New York Jets the next year when the Broncos were able to land Peyton Manning as a free agent.
Though coach Rex Ryan and the organization promised to install specific Wildcat packages for Tebow as a backup to Mark Sanchez, his time in New York mostly was characterized by a shirtless picture taken after a rainy practice as well as the awkward press conference the team staged for him after he signed.
Roundly criticized by smart football people for never developing as a pro passer, the 27-year-old Tebow has completed just 47.9 percent of his regular-season throws during his NFL career. The Jets released him in April 2013. New England gave him a look during training camp, but released him prior to the season.
Perhaps former Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who has made some intriguing, risky personnel moves this offseason, can manage to leverage Tebow’s unique blend of leadership, size (6-foot-3, 236 pounds) and toughness.
At Florida, Tebow won a Heisman Trophy in ’07, earned first- or second-team All-American status in a remarkable three different seasons and won two BCS National Championships.
Tebow is a recognizable name (and face), but the consensus opinion of him as a TV sports analyst is that he didn’t add a ton to the broadcast. ESPN has yet to announce who may replace him on the nascent SEC Network, but it makes sense that the company would look for someone to handle his studio work and take over his chair on SEC Nation, the station’s conference-centric version of College GameDay.
Signing with the Eagles by no means guarantees Tebow a roster spot after training camp, but it sounds like Philadelphia will give him an opportunity to back up a familiar former teammate.
So it's Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez as teammates once again….
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 19, 2015
Philadelphia giving Tim Tebow a one-year contract, per source. Deal expected to be signed Monday, before Eagles' off-season program begin.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 19, 2015