Tim Tebow's comeback and NFL vocation are over.
The Jacksonville Jaguars waived Tebow connected Tuesday, parting with the 2007 Heisman Trophy victor who switched from backmost to choky extremity successful hopes of rejuvenating his pro shot career.
"We knew that was an uphill conflict for Tim," said manager Urban Meyer, who recruited Tebow to adjacent Florida. "Players loved him, locker country loved him, but it was the close happening (to do)."
Tebow's blocking ranged from awkward to atrocious successful Jacksonville's preseason opener against Cleveland connected his 34th birthday. The polarising subordinate went viral for 2 botched attempts connected the opening thrust of the 3rd 4th Saturday night, the 2nd 1 much egregious than the first.
"He has a clump of bully plays but can't person a atrocious play astatine that position," said Meyer, who spoke to Tebow astir the roster determination Monday nighttime and again Tuesday morning.
Tebow besides failed to grounds a drawback against the Browns and got nary snaps connected peculiar teams. Meyer said Tebow's play lacked consistency, particularly successful tackling. And if Tebow were going to marque Jacksonville's 53-man roster, helium needed to beryllium a peculiar teams contributor.
Meyer said helium expects this to beryllium the extremity of Tebow's playing career.
"I would conjecture it is," Meyer said. "We didn't get that heavy with it. Obviously he's his ain man, elite warrior, elite competitor. But he's besides 34 years old."
Tebow was shielded from the media circus that followed him during different NFL stops and ne'er publically addressed his instrumentality aft astir six years distant from the game. The Jacksonville autochthonal responded connected Twitter and thanked his hometown squad for a chance.
"Thankful for the highs and adjacent the lows, the opportunities, and the setbacks," Tebow wrote. "I've ne'er wanted to marque decisions retired of fearfulness of nonaccomplishment and I'm grateful for the accidental to person pursued a dream."
Tebow opened grooming campy arsenic Jacksonville's fourth- oregon fifth-string choky extremity aft switching positions this year. He was trying to instrumentality to the NFL aft spending the erstwhile 5 years successful the New York Mets' organization. He deed .223 with 18 location runs and 107 RBIs portion ne'er making it to the large leagues.
He asked Meyer for a tryout aft retiring from shot successful January. Meyer obliged and ended up giving him a one-year declaration worthy $920,000, the minimum for a subordinate with 3 accrued NFL seasons. The low-risk woody included nary guaranteed money, truthful Tebow had to marque the squad to gain a dime.
And that was ever the uncertain part. Jacksonville entered campy with 3 choky ends fundamentally locked into roster spots: run-blocking specializer Chris Manhertz, chap seasoned James O'Shaughnessy and fifth-round draught prime Luke Farrell.
Former and existent NFL players criticized Meyer for giving Tebow a roster spot and pointed retired a fig of much deserving choky ends connected the street. But galore of Tebow's teammates welcomed him with unfastened arms.
"It's inactive truthful cool," said backmost Gardner Minshew, who wears No. 15 due to the fact that helium grew up idolizing Tebow. "I mean, each clip I propulsion to him, I conscionable smile. That's similar my favourite thing. But it's like, it's unbelievable. You perceive bigger-than-life stories astir the dude and it's each real. It's unbelievable. Truly bigger-than-life-type person, truthful it's been truly awesome to beryllium astir him."
Tebow flashed aboriginal during organized squad activities and seldom dropped balls thrown his way. But erstwhile campy began and players donned afloat pads, Tebow faded. It rapidly became wide that Tebow was little of a pass-catching enactment than Tyler Davis, a sixth-round enactment successful 2020, and second-year pro Ben Ellefson.
His blocking woes and deficiency of acquisition connected peculiar teams made Meyer's determination a comparatively casual one.
"It's peculiar teams," Meyer said. "This full roster absorption is truly captious arsenic we travel present done the adjacent 2 weeks. Two of the peculiar teams phases are tackling, and he's ne'er tackled. ... We expect to beryllium precise bully connected peculiar teams. Tight extremity and tailback, if you can't lend connected peculiar teams, that's a pugnacious go."
Tebow helped Meyer and the Gators triumph 2 nationalist championships portion becoming 1 of the astir recognizable athletes successful assemblage sports.
Denver selected Tebow with the 25th wide prime successful the archetypal circular successful 2010. He led the Broncos to a playoff triumph successful his 2nd season, but his agelong windup and inaccuracy led to a abbreviated NFL career. He spent clip with the Broncos, the New York Jets, New England and Philadelphia.
His past meaningful crippled came with the Jets successful 2012. The Eagles chopped him pursuing grooming campy successful 2015, with then-coach Chip Kelly saying Tebow wasn't bully capable to beryllium Philly's No. 3 QB.
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