Elway With Boomer & Carton: Yes Indeed, Tebow Chose Jets Over Jaguars
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Football was on the docket Thursday morning when Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway joined the "Boomer & Carton" show.
There was no shortage of Tim Tebow talk. After all, this is New York, and Elway functions as executive vice president of football operations for Tebow's former team -- and don't forget, Boomer Esiason famously called for the Jets to cut the backup quarterback in August.
Elway and the Broncos traded Tebow to the Jets last March. The swap came on the heels of Peyton Manning's move to Denver.
"I think Tim Tebow has a lot of fans. You know, and I had to take care of the Denver Broncos," Elway said in his sit-down with Esiason and Craig Carton. "And Peyton Manning was the best thing for the Denver Broncos."
John Elway On Tebow The Player
Tebow was a disappointment in his first year with the Jets. His arrival to New York was met with fanfare, but the 25-year-old never found his groove in Tony Sparano's system and was passed over for the starting job late in the season when head coach Rex Ryan benched Mark Sanchez.
The Jets will reportedly release Tebow this offseason if they can't find a trading partner. The best match was thought to be the Jacksonville Jaguars, but their new general manager slammed the door on that idea earlier this month.
Some have speculated that Tebow may be forced to consider a move to the Canadian Football League.
When asked directly if the unorthodox Tebow could be an NFL player, Elway said "in the right situation I think it's a possibility."
"He's a good kid and he works his tail off," Elway said.
Tebow replaced Kyle Orton as Denver's starting quarterback in 2011, leading the team to the playoffs and a first-round upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Elway confirmed that Tebow was given a choice between New York and Jacksonville after Manning was brought in.
"You know, we laid it out to Tim. We said 'It's up to you,'" Elway said. "I'm not going to tell you which deal I liked better. But I will tell you that we did give him the option."
John Elway On Tebow's Choice
Tebow ended up picking the Jets, a team that gave him very limited touches en route to a turmoil-filled 6-10 finish. The Jets fired general manager Mike Tannenbaum and Sparano after the season.
According to Elway, Tebow thought New York "was the best opportunity for him."
Tebow completed six of eight passes for 39 yards and had 32 carries for 102 yards in 2012.
(You can download the entire interview HERE.)
