With Tim Tebow announcing his retirement from professional baseball, could he be heading down to Jacksonville to reunite with Urban Meyer?
On Wednesday, the New York Mets announced that minor league outfielder and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow was retiring from the game of baseball after signing with the organization for four years. The news came as a bit of a shock, as the Mets invited Tebow to participate in Spring Training days earlier.
Tebow gave baseball his all but noted in his statement on Twitter that he felt he was being “called in other directions.” Of course, football fans started connecting the dots, and began speculating that maybe Tebow left baseball to join his college head coach, Urban Meyer, who is currently the sideline boss of the Jacksonville Jaguars. When thinking about it, that would not be a bad idea, but he won’t be joining as a player; rather, as a coaching assistant.
Tim Tebow, assistant coach?
Tebow and Meyer have been tied to the hip since their time with the Florida Gators. In Tebow’s four years (three as starting quarterback), the Gators won two SEC titles and two National Championships (2006, 2008).
Once the Jaguars made it official that they were hiring Meyer to be their next head coach, many speculated that Tebow could end up on the team in some fashion. However, Tebow shut down those rumors when approached by TMZ, saying that he was concentrating on Spring Training with the Mets. Now, Tebow’s baseball career is over, so the dot connecting continues.
Before you ask, Tebow should not join as a player but as a coaches assistant or analyst instead. Just think about it: Tebow has familiarity with Meyer’s coaching style. That would be a tremendous help for Jacksonville’s future young quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. It’s not like Lawrence will need much help, as he is considered the most well-polished quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, but still, that would be an even greater incentive for Tebow if he decides to make the jump back to the NFL.
Again, this is all speculation. It is too early to tell what Tebow has planned following his retirement from baseball. But given Meyer’s presence in Jacksonville, Tebow can not escape the probably never-ending speculation of him joining the Jaguars.
Welcome to the NFL offseason news cycle, Tim!