Tim Tebow Trade Rumors: Why Quarterback Still Has a Future in the NFL

If the New York Jets are successful in moving quarterback Tim Tebow this offseason, there's still hope that the 25-year-old can have a successful career behind center in the NFL.

It appears that the Jets have no plans to cut Tebow before March, and instead will continue to look around for potential trade partners, per Adam Schefter of ESPN:

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The New York Jets do not plan to release quarterback Tim Tebow before the start of the new league year in March and instead will hold on to him with the hopes that they can trade him, according to league sources.

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Tebow is coming off a season in which he wasn't utilized all that much. The backup signal-caller only threw eight passes during the 17-week season and saw much of his action on the field running the ball from the Wildcat package.

The biggest knock on Tebow is that he can't throw the ball with any accuracy, but if he can fix that problem, he can still make an impact in this league.

The 2012 season was the start of a new era in the NFL that could benefit Tebow.

Quarterbacks such as Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick ran the read-option with a ton of success; it has opened the door for athletic quarterbacks to have a bigger role in the pro game.

While Tebow doesn't throw the ball anywhere near as well as the two quarterbacks mentioned, he does have the kind of speed that dual-threat quarterbacks need.

Other teams could look at Tebow and see him as a potential fit in that system should they choose to run it. That might have been an afterthought before this season, but the read-option system has been proven to be an intriguing approach on the offensive side because of the level of unpredictability it affords.

All that Tebow needs is another opportunity on a different NFL team. Granted, he won't be traded for in order to be a starter right away, but perhaps Tebow can prove himself in practice once he earns his spot on the roster.

No team will give him that chance unless his game improves. Tebow needs to work countless hours with the ultimate goal of improving his accuracy when making throws from the pocket. Being able to make those routine throws with consistency will add the much-needed second element that he's currently lacking.

Without it, there's no hope for Tebow in this league—and he might as well start thinking about playing another position if he wants to stay in pro football.