Tebow draws little interest despite read-option trend

Maybe I'm missing something here but I don't understand why New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow has drawn so little interest from teams this offseason.

Even his hometown team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, is reportedly not seeking to add him to their roster. This despite the fact that he could probably be acquired fairly cheap at this point and they don’t seem to be going very far with the quarterback they have on hand.

What makes the lack of interest in Tebow so puzzling though is that we just witnessed two rookie quarterbacks and a second-year signal-caller take their teams to the playoffs using some version of the read-option offense.

This is virtually the same kind of offense that Tebow ran while leading his college team, the Florida Gators, to two National titles. He was also able to guide the Denver Broncos to the playoffs during his last season there using a tailor-fit variation of this offense.

Now there is still the matter of Tebow’s elongated delivery and less-than-stellar accuracy that may be hindering teams from really pursuing him but I think many teams are still willing to take a chance on him if he becomes available through the waiver-wire or free agency.

And therein may lie the biggest roadblock to Tebow being able to prove he can be an effective quarterback whether in a starting role or as a backup.

The Jets have been unwilling to even give him a chance to flourish there but they won’t give him his walking papers either for fear of losing him without getting some kind of compensation in return.

Teams know that the Jets are desperate to unload Tebow which is probably why he hasn’t drawn any interest from other teams around the league. Most teams know that the Jets will let him go eventually.

Once the Jets finally do release him, then you can expect to see a number of teams seeking to bring him in for a workout or even offering to sign him.

It definitely wouldn’t surprise me if one of the teams that already runs a read-option offense like the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks, or the Carolina Panthers brought him in as a backup.

Tebow may even be targeted by teams looking to draft a quarterback. Many scouts feel that West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith could thrive in a read-option offense as well as Florida State’s E.J. Manuel.

Tebow won’t be very helpful in teaching either of those guys how to be an NFL quarterback but his work ethic and professionalism could serve as a model for one of these young quarterbacks to follow. 

Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.