Revisiting the Broncos-Jets Tim Tebow Trade

The Denver Broncos made the no-brainer move to pursue Peyton Manning in free agency before the 2012 season. With the future Hall of Famer in tow, fan favorite and college football legend Tim Tebow and his 46.5% completion percentage were deemed unnecessary, and the Broncos were looking for some poor dope to take a chance on the former first-round pick.

The New York Jets, as they often do, rolled the dice and traded for Tebow to compete with former No. 5 overall pick Mark Sanchez. The Jets parted ways with a fourth- and sixth-round pick in this deal, the latter of which became linebacker Danny Trevathan, who is still a solid starter to this day.

Despite setting new career highs in completion percentage, passing yards, and touchdowns, the Jets wanted to add some competition for Sanchez. However, through a combination of Rex Ryan's steadfast commitment to the former USC star and Tebow's own inability to perform well enough to wrestle the job away, the Gators legend remained the backup for most of the year.

He completed six of his eight passes for 39 yards while carrying the ball 32 times for 102 yards. In a year where even Greg McElroy managed to start game, Tebow rarely got any snaps under center.

He lasted just one season in New York, and he hasn't made an NFL roster since.

All the highlights and goodwill he engendered couldn't mask the fact that Tebow lacked some of the basic traits needed to play quarterback in the NFL. It doesn't matter how hyped up you are, defenses will figure you out if you can't throw accurately. As always, the Jets seem to be the last team to figure out things like that.