Tim Tebow can't go anywhere until the league year starts March 12, but that does not mean the New York Jets haven't been shopping him around to NFL teams, as they did at the scouting combine in Indianapolis last week.
Although the Jets grossly underused Tebow last season, there is a good chance another team sees value in him, as the Denver Broncos did two years ago when they decided he was the starting quarterback and he led them to an improbably upset playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The main targets for the Jets have been quarterback-weak teams like the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns and his hometown Jacksonville Jaguars, who remain an option despite their public denials. The Jets traded for Tebow from Denver in March of 2012 along with a seventh round pick for the teams fourth and sixth round picks and they would gladly take that in reverse if they could get it.
All three teams mentioned have question marks at quarterback, including the Jaguars, who have not been fully sold on Blaine Gabbert yet. The Browns have a new coach and owner and a whole new regime, so there is a chance that they could decide to move on and try to grab Tebow. Along with Trent Richardson, the Browns would have an all-SEC backfield with two players who have won national championships.
The Browns and Jaguars were two of the worst offensive teams in the league last season and could use a new spark on offense. The Cardinals were just as bad and they truly need a quarterback after getting awful play from Kevin Kolb, John Skelton and Ryan Lindley last season at different times.
Bruce Arians is the new head coach and there is a chance he will want to erase a streak of 11 losses in 12 games that team went through last year and one way to do that is to bring in a new quarterback. The team may have been interested in Alex Smith, but the Chiefs gave up more than they were willing and with Tebow they likely could get him for much less than that.
Kolb was traded to Arizona to be the starter, but he has not worked out at all and last season he passed for 1,169 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions in six games while the team as a whole was the 32nd ranked offense in rushing yards per game, rushing yards per play, passing yards per play, sacks allowed per pass attempt and third-down percentage. The team also scored less than 16 points per game.
Tebow would not instantly make the team winners, but he would be a step up on all three of those quarterbacks despite only making it on the field for 73 plays last season. The Jets used him in limited plays, but when he was on the field he was effective, rushing for 102 yards and completing six of eight passes for 39 yards and zero touchdowns.
Tebow could use his mobility to work with Larry Fitzgerald, who is coming off of one of his worst offensive seasons in his career after the play of the quarterbacks. Tebow's base salary in 2013 is manageable and since the Cardinals are in rebuilding mode, they might feel like taking a big risk with a big reward could be worth it.
The top of the draft is thin at quarterback with Geno Smith and Matt Barkley and if Bruce Arians doesn't like any of the prospects, the Cardinals could make a move.
