AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack
One preseason game and two virally bad blocks later, Tim Tebow’s career as an NFL tight end is over.
The Jaguars released Tebow as part of their first round of cuts Tuesday, with the quarterback-turned-tight end thanking the organization for the opportunity.
The experiment always seemed destined to fail. Tebow is a 34-year-old who never played tight end and was nearly a decade removed from his last regular-season NFL game. He’d also spent four years pursuing a failed baseball career in the New York Mets organization.
Once Tebow got onto the field, the result was about as expected. He went viral over the weekend for two bad run-blocking attempts, looking every bit like a 34-year-old who was attempting to play a new position at a professional level. He was targeted once in the passing game but did not make a reception.
This is likely Tebow’s last hurrah as a professional athlete. His attempts to transition from Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Florida to NFL signal-caller never found much success, and it seems unlikely he’ll make another try with the Mets or a different MLB organization.
Broadcasting may be in Tebow’s future, as he’s been a semi-regular on the SEC Network since 2014. His contract with ESPN, which owns the SEC Network, allowed him to pursue his professional sports dreams, but it may be time for him to settle into a full-time analyst role.