The New York Jets aimed to get headlines during the 2012 season and in that regard, the year was a success. Football-wise though? There was a lot left to be desired.
One of the largest problems with the Jets this season was the trade for Tim Tebow. The organization brought him over last March as a weapon on offense, but instead all the backup quarterback did was add drama to the locker room.
As the season wore on and the Jets had issues on offense, many in the media wondered who orchestrated the deal in the first place. Rex Ryan said that he was on board with the move, while many in the media speculated that it was done by owner Woody Johnson to bring in more money and get attention from the Super Bowl-winning Giants.
Now there might be some clarity to the situation.
According to an ESPNNewYork.com report, Rich Cimini writes that the deal was not the "brainchild" of Johnson, although he eventually warmed to the idea of bringing Tebow to the team. Former Broncos GM Ted Sundquist, who interviewed for the Jets' open general manager position, said that he was told that Tebow was "forced" on Johnson and team president Neil Glat, who also participated in the interview.
The Daily News added to the report, saying that the owner and the others interviewing candidates reportedly were looking for an "exit strategy" for the Tebow situation. The report also said that another candidate who was interviewed had no mention of Tebow in his session.
The main point of the news though is that Johnson is blaming departed GM Mike Tannenbaum about the trade. This follows a familiar trend for the Jets, who like to scapegoat and blame players and executives once they leave the franchise. For example, last year's offensive struggles were blamed on fired coordinator Brian Schottenheimer once he left the team.
Johnson also said, according to Sundquist, that he eventually "jumped on board" with the Tebow idea, deferring to his football people. "They realized it was divisive and hard on the locker room, and they wanted an exit strategy," Sundquist told ESPNNewYork.com.
Tebow was one of the most talked about players in the NFL after leading the Denver Broncos to an improbable overtime win against the Steelers in last year's playoffs, but he has been marginalized by the Jets. This season he played in only 77 offensive played and gained 102 rushing yards on 32 carries. He made only eight pass attempts and completed six of them for 39 yards.
Head coach Rex Ryan and coordinator Tony Sparano said Tebow would help add another level to the offense, but instead starter Mark Sanchez struggled as the two tried to bring Tebow in. Sanchez threw 18 interceptions and the Jets were one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL, ranked 30th in passing with 180 yards per game and scoring just 17 points per game, ranked 28th in the league.
Making the situation even more awkward for Tebow, former Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff said the team was a "mess" in handling the quarterback and never gave him a chance to succeed.
"It was a mess," Westhoff said of the Tebow situation, according to ESPNNewYork.com. "It was an absolute mess. You can say whatever else you want, it was really a mess. I was very, very disappointed. There are things that Tim Tebow as an NFL quarterback, he's very limited in some things. If you throw him in the middle of a drop-back passing offense, he will look very, very average at best. But if you incorporate him in different facets of your offense, I think he can be a factor. That's what I thought we were going to do, but we never did it."
The Jets had hoped to trade Tebow to the Jaguars, but the new general manager said that the team was not interested. "I can't imagine a scenario in which he'll be a Jacksonville Jaguar -- even if he's released," new Jaguars GM David Caldwell said at his introductory news conference earlier this month.
Other possibilities include the Arizona Cardinals, who have three ineffective quarterbacks, as well as the Chicago Bears, who hired a new head coach in Marc Trestman that has connections to Tebow. Trestman worked with Tebow prior to the NFL draft and had great praise for him following those workouts.
According to USA Today: In Canada's National Post, Trestman compared Tebow to Trestman's staggeringly effective QB for the Montreal Alouettes, Anthony Calvillo:
"We have a quarterback who has a long delivery and he's one of the greatest quarterbacks and will finish as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time north or south of the border so he does it with a motion very similar to what Tim Tebow used in college. When you're an accurate passer and you have the intangibles that go along with that you can figure it out and make it work and whether Tim changed his motion or not I believed he would figure it out and I don't have any doubt that he'll be very, very successful," Trestman said.
The Eagles and new head coach Chip Kelly could also be an option, but it isn't one of the top landing spots for Tebow.
"I believe everything happens for a reason. I don't know what my future holds, but I know who holds my future and in that there is a lot of peace and a lot of comfort," Tebow said in an interview with Fox Business Network. "I don't have any regrets."