Tim Tebow - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Battle, Sam, Bills, Browns

June 25th, 2015 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of NFL sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle could be a third-round value in this year’s supplemental draft. We learned earlier today that Battle would be eligible for the supplemental draft, and Robinson suggests that a strong 2015 season at Clemson might have pushed Battle into the top five prospects at his position for the 2016 draft. The young lineman is still raw, so it will be interesting to see which teams, if any, are willing to part with one of their 2016 picks to land him.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:

The NFL’s rookie salary structure needs to be overhauled again, in the view of Jason Reid of ESPN.com, who makes the case that young players – especially non-first-rounders – who play well during their first three or four seasons are undercompensated.
Jim Popp, the general manager of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, tells Les Carpenter of The Guardian that he thinks Michael Sam will eventually return to the team, and that the Missouri alum “needed a break.” Popp also revealed that the Alouettes were close to adding both Sam and Tim Tebow last fall, and added that a few NFL teams have called him since Sam left Montreal, asking if he knows why the edge defender departed and whether or not he’ll be back.
After spending the majority of the 2014 season on injured reserve, Bills safety Jonathan Meeks finds himself on the team’s roster bubble, with Mike Rodak of ESPN.com giving him a 55% chance of earning a spot on the 53-man squad.
The Browns may not have had pre-draft contact with Marcus Mariota, but that doesn’t mean the team didn’t have any interest in the Oregon quarterback, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, pointing out that new Cleveland quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell worked extensively with Mariota before joining the Browns.
ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters have assigned offseason grades to each of the league’s 32 teams, with links to all 32 stories and videos right here.

QB Notes: Tebow, Winston, McCown, Rivers

May 29th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Ben Levine

After being away from the game for the past two years, Eagles quarterback Tim Tebow is thrilled about his new opportunity. The former Heisman winner is behind Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley on the team’s depth chart, but the competition is far from Tebow’s mind.

“I think sometimes when things are taken away, then you don’t realize how much fun it is to come out here and play this game,” Tebow told Nate Davis of USA Today. “You can’t play it forever, so I’m going to enjoy it.”

Coach Chip Kelly had been thrilled with the 27-year-old’s performance in OTAs.

“I think he’s improved,” Kelly said. “He’s had a lot of time the last two years working at his game. (We) wanted to have a fourth quarterback here.”

Let’s check out some more notes regarding some of the league’s signal callers…

First-overall pick Jameis Winston is impressing the Buccaneers coaching staff during OTAs. “We have to kind of tell him when to leave,” head coach Lovie Smith told ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas. “For him, there’s been a lot of individual work, but having a chance this week to go against our best defense and things like that [has been good]. We have a long ways to go. But we like where he is right now.”
Browns quarterback Josh McCown has been “virtually anointed” the starting gig without a “hint” of competition, opines Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. While teammates and coaches have supported sophomore Johnny Manziel, Grossi says the former first-rounder is struggling after a rough offseason.
Meanwhile, McCown says he wouldn’t have even considered visiting other teams (including the Bills and the Bears) if he had been aware of the talent on the Browns offensive line. “After being with them, 5-6 weeks, it’s like, had I known it was this good I wouldn’t even needed to take a visit (to Buffalo and Chicago),” McCown told Grossi.
Considering Ben Roethlisberger‘s recent extension, Jason Fitzgerald (writing for the Sporting News) believes Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers‘ next contract could surpass the total of Aaron Rodgers‘ extension. Rivers has previously been paid more than Roethlisberger, who came close to topping Rodgers’ contract’s average annual value.

Sunday Roundup: Garoppolo, Tebow, G. Smith

May 24th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s have a look at some links from around the league on this Sunday afternoon:

One of the silver linings of Tom Brady‘s suspension, according to Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald, is that the Patriots will get the chance to see if second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is truly Brady’s heir apparent.
Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes that not only will Tim Tebow make the Eagles‘ 53-man roster, he will suit up and he will play.
Only Cincinnati has drafted more wide receivers than the Packers since 2005, which marked Ted Thompson‘s first year as Green Bay’s GM. Thompson has selected 16 wideouts during that time.
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey did not undermine head coach Todd Bowles by proclaiming that Geno Smith would be the team’s starting quarterback, as Gailey was just reiterating what Bowles had said (in a less definitive manner) on prior occasions.
Cimini does note that the Jets are bucking a historic trend by having Smith open the season as their starting signal-caller. Football Outsiders complied a list of 10 quarterbacks over the past 25 years who performed as poorly as Smith has in their first two seasons, and although most of them were named the starter going into their third year in the league, most were also first-round draft choices. Smith, of course, was a second-rounder. Out of the 10 players that Football Outsiders listed, only two, Jake Plummer and Trent Dilfer, experienced any sort of success in the league.
Connor Hamlett, a tight end whom the Jaguars signed as an undrafted free agent earlier this month, indicated back in January that he was not going to pursue a professional football career. But Hamlett, per Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union, says, “I just took some time off because I was banged up. I love the game of football, and I wanted to play. The whole [story] kind of got blown out of proportion.” Jacksonville had a “draft-worthy” grade on Hamlett, who has a good chance to make the club. O’Halloran says the Jags could keep as many as five tight ends on the roster.
Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com says the Jaguars could release Toby Gerhart, but the ESPN scribe goes on to explain why he believes Gerhart will ultimately stay on the roster.
Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune says the Buccaneers, who traded a fifth-round pick to Detroit last month in exchange for George Johnson–after signing Johnson to a three-year, $9MM offer sheet–fell in love with the defensive end while watching film of Lions games in preparation for last year’s matchup with Detroit. Had the Bucs not played the Lions in 2014, Johnson might not have found himself in Tampa Bay in 2015.

Extra Points: Daniels, Allen, Bucs, Eagles

April 20th, 2015 at 10:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Packers defensive end Mike Daniels is entering a contract year but he’s not thinking too hard about his financial future, as Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel writes.

“All of that is just a distraction,” Daniels said. “That’s just a distraction. I’m here to play football. I’m here to get better. I’m here to watch film, relearn the defense, get bigger, faster, stronger. All that stuff, that’s nothing but a huge distraction. The instant people start putting a focus on something like that, that’s when their play starts to suffer. And I don’t have time for my play to suffer.”

Daniels played in 63.8% of the defensive snaps last season and has 76 tackles and 14 sacks across three seasons. Here’s more from around the NFL..

After checking in for the Colts‘ first day of offseason conditions, tight end Dwayne Allen is heading back to Arizona to work out on his own there, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Rapoport notes that Allen, who is entering a contract year, doesn’t expect to discuss a new deal with the club until after the season.
Buccaneers GM Lovie Smith says that he and GM Jason Licht are in “total agreement” as to who the team should draft, Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets.
Linebacker Mychal Kendricks and running back Chris Polk were not present for the start of the Eagles‘ spring workouts, sources tell Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Polk has yet to sign his low-level restricted free agent tender offer and therefore cannot partake in activities yet. Kendricks, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
Dion Jordan was not present for the Dolphins‘ voluntary workouts today and it’s not immediately clear why, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets. The defensive end is under contract through 2016 with cap numbers of $5.6MM and $6.5MM in each of the next two seasons.
The Dolphins discussed trading for Matt Barkley before ultimately signing Josh Freeman, according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 (on Twitter). That deliberation is what kept the Eagles from signing Tim Tebow even sooner.
Paul Posluszny‘s 2015 cap number with the Jaguars should go from $9.5M to $6.8MM with his renegotiated three-year deal, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
Toledo safety Jordan Haden, the younger brother of Pro Bowler Joe Haden, has decided not to pursue an NFL career, his father tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The younger Haden drew interest from nine NFL teams, but has elected to work for the family business after sustaining a number of injuries during his college career.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Eagles Sign Tim Tebow

April 20th, 2015 at 2:51pm CST by Rob DiRe

MONDAY, 2:51pm: The Eagles have officially signed Tebow to a one-year deal, the team announced today (Twitter link).

SUNDAY, 5:41pm: The Eagles begin their offseason program tomorrow, and are bringing ex-Broncos, Jets, and Patriots quarterback Tim Tebow in as a fourth signal-caller, reports Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). Glazer adds while the opportunity to come in this low on the depth chart is not ideal for Tebow, it could be his best chance of making an NFL roster (via Twitter).

Adam Schefter of ESPN confirmed that the team had reached an agreement with Tebow. Schefter writes that the Eagles tried to trade third-string quarterback Matt Barkley to make room on the roster, but were unable to bring enough back in return for the former Trojan. Instead, they decided to bring Tebow in for the offseason program to compete for a spot on the roster.

The signing represents a reunion for Tebow and current (presumed) backup Mark Sanchez. There shouldn’t be much of a quarterback controversy this time around, as Sanchez is being paid like a player that expects to see the field. The team also brought in Sam Bradford from the Rams, who should be given every opportunity to win the starting job. G.J. Kinne is also listed on the roster as a quarterback, but he’s more of an all-purpose threat.

Tebow figures to be competing with Barkley for a spot on the roster, assuming there is a realistic chance he stays with the Eagles come September. The team is expected to finalize the one-year contract tomorrow morning, according to Schefter.

NFC East Rumors: DGB, Harris, Eagles

April 19th, 2015 at 9:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some rumors coming out of the NFC East on Sunday night.

First-round talent Dorial Green-Beckham declined a pre-draft visit with the Cowboys, according to Ross Jones of FoxSports.com (via Twitter). No reason was given for this decision.
While the never-ending spree of Adrian Peterson-replacing-DeMarco Murray-in-Dallas rumors will persist for at least another 10 days, Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News writes Murray won’t be the toughest Cowboy to replace this season. On the surface, it appeared the Giants handed a typo-worthy check to pry return man Dwayne Harris from the Cowboys, but the five-year, $17.5MM deal goes a long way to fix Big Blue’s special teams while depleting the Cowboys’, notes Gosselin.
The Eagles won’t likely trade up in the draft, and if they do it would probably be for Marcus Mariota, but Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com picks out two other potential prospects that he could imagine the team making a move to grab, in cornerback Trae Waynes and receiver DeVante Parker.
In light of Sunday’s news that Tim Tebow intends to sign with the Eagles, ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini (via Twitter) passes along the polarizing quarterback’s QBR in the final five minutes of fourth quarters. Cherry-picking, indeed, but Tebow’s 80.7 crunch-time figure crafted largely in the middle portion of the 2011 season nearly doubles Sam Bradford‘s 46.8 mark.

Rob DiRe contributed to this report

Extra Points: Saints, Greenway, Tebow, Eagles

March 18th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

After years of loading up on salary, the Saints have now swung back in a far different direction – shedding veterans who make too much money and loading up on draft picks, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora wondered if coach Sean Payton is loading up on draft picks to make a play for Marcus Mariota and he spoke with football execs who felt that the Oregon quarterback would be a terrific fit with what he wants to do at the quarterback position. While the Saints have Drew Brees under center, 2015 could be the last go ’round for the veteran in New Orleans.

Let’s round up a few more notes from across the league….

Veteran linebacker Chad Greenway tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) that his agent and the Vikings are working on a new contract that would keep him in Minnesota for the 2015 season.
In the wake of Tim Tebow‘s workout with the Eagles earlier this week, Albert Breer of the NFL Network takes a closer look at the former first-round pick’s efforts to get back on an NFL roster.
The Eagles have made a lot of moves this offseason but their wide receiver situation remains a bit murky, as Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine writes. The group of remaining free agents is not very interesting, headlined by Greg Jennings, Michael Crabtree and Dwayne Bowe. Given that the Eagles don’t have a ton of cap space to work with, it seems unlikely that they’re going to sign a wide receiver, Kapadia writes.
Following Chris Borland‘s surprise retirement, Matt Bowen of Bleacher Report, a former NFL player, spoke to a handful of fellow NFL veterans, and most of them said the rewards of playing in the NFL outweigh the risks. However, Borland’s decision “definitely has heightened awareness that the balance could be shifting.”
For now, it seems that the Dolphins‘ offense has taken a step backward, Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel writes. Assuming that Charles Clay leaves for Buffalo, Miami is left with question marks when it comes to touchdowns in the red zone, even with Jordan Cameron in the fold. Meanwhile, there are also some uncertainties surrounding the power running game, the deep passing game, and even the quarterback (to an extent).
The Jaguars have signed president Mark Lamping to a five-year contract extension, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter). Lamping’s deal was set to expire in a few weeks, so the new pact has been in the works for some time (link).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Tim Tebow Worked Out For Eagles

March 16th, 2015 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

3:05pm: According to Schefter (via Twitter), Tebow’s workout in Philadelphia is over, and the team doesn’t have any plans to sign him at this point.

1:47pm: Just in case you thought things might be returning to normal for Chip Kelly and the Eagles after a wild first week of free agency, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets a nugget to dispel that notion. According to Schefter, former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is working out for Philadelphia today.

Tebow, the former Broncos first-rounder, hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since he played for the Jets in 2012. If the Eagles were to take a flier on the 27-year-old and use one of their 90 offseason roster spots on him, he would be reunited with Mark Sanchez, whom he backed up during his stint in New York.

Of course, a tryout doesn’t mean a contract will follow, but the fact that Kelly and the Eagles are even considering a player as divisive as Tebow is just the latest twist in a month that has been full of surprising moves out of Philadelphia.

Tebow, who has been trying to continue his NFL playing career for the last several years, worked as an NCAA analyst for ESPN during Bowl season this winter.

Dolphins Auditioning Grossman, Quinn, Skelton

August 11th, 2014 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

9:31am: Brady Quinn and John Skelton are among the other quarterbacks being considered by the Dolphins, according to Jackson (via Twitter).

8:46am: Former Bears and Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman will audition for the Dolphins today, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus, who confirmed in a WSVN-Fox segment on Sunday that his client will be among the quarterbacks working out for the club (link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).

While Grossman hasn’t seen regular-season NFL action since starting 13 games during the 2011 season, he has spent the last several seasons in Washington. There were rumblings earlier in the offseason that the veteran signal-caller may land in Cleveland, where former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is now running the Browns’ offense, but a deal never materialized, and Grossman has remained on the free agent market all year.

For the Dolphins, Ryan Tannehill is firmly installed as the starter, but backups Matt Moore and Pat Devlin have battled various ailments this summer, increasing the potential need for veteran insurance. Moore, who is well-paid for a backup, still appears likely to enter the season as the club’s No. 2 quarterback, but Devlin’s roster spot could be in jeopardy.

Although it’s not clear yet which QBs will be joining Grossman for the Dolphins’ tryout today, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald suggests the team should take a look at Tim Tebow. Tebow, who has been working out and staying in shape, has seemingly drawn no interest from NFL teams this summer, prompting Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk to explore why the former Bronco can’t even get a look on a 90-man offseason roster.

AFC Notes: Tebow, Watt, Jaguars, Ware, Bills

July 18th, 2014 at 4:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Tim Tebow, who has been frequently linked to the Jaguars over the years, purchased a $1.4MM home in Jacksonville, according to Andrew Thurlow of the Jacksonville Business Journal. Of course, the Jaguars have their quarterback of the future in Blake Bortles and there is zero indication that they’d be interested in bringing Tebow aboard, who last played in the NFL in 2012. But, if they ever want to audition a backup, the former Florida QB will be a hop, skip, and a jump away. Here’s more out of the AFC..

With speculation that a new deal for Texans defensive end J.J. Watt could get a contract extension in the ballpark of $23MM per year, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a stab at what kind of contract the disruptive DE could fetch. Ultimately, Fitzgerald concludes that a four year contract worth $57.6MM could make sense for both sides. As the Texans are going through a remake of their roster, it could make both football sense and PR sense to hammer out a new deal with Watt this year.
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley expects the club’s offense to be more balanced this year. Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union says that new RB Toby Gerhart will be a huge key towards making that happen.
Thanks in part to cupping therapy, new Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware says that he’s feeling great, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. “I feel better than I did the last two years going into the season,” Ware said. “Stronger, faster. I feel flexible.”
The Bills have waived wide receiver Cordell Robinson and cornerback Darius Robinson, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The Patriots re-signed wide receiver Derrick Johnson, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).