Manning Rumors Prove Denver Broncos Never Had Confidence in Tim Tebow

After yet another chapter of the Peyton Manning saga was written this afternoon, it's time to evaluate the situation from it's entire perspective. Today, the Broncos revealed they are 95% certain that Manning will sign with them,

It was revealed a few days ago when Manning arrived in Denver for his six hour visit with the organization that if the Broncos were to sign Manning, they would trade Tim Tebow.

The most likely destination in the event of a Tebow trade would see him shipped to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Broncos were one of a dozen teams to show interest in Manning as a free agent after it appeared the Miami Dolphins would be the frontrunners to sign him. Signing Manning would be absolutely monumental for the Broncos.

It would completely shake up the Broncos organization both on and off the field.

Would signing Manning and trading Tebow be a positive for the Broncos? No. But it wouldn't be a negative either.

But one thing that it does reveal, and what this Manning signing speculation has made abundantly apparent is this: the Broncos organization never did and still don't have confidence in Tebow as the franchise quarterback.

John Elway and John Fox never drafted Tebow and they never really wanted Tebow as the starting quarterback in the first place. They begrudgingly made him the starting quarterback because of fan pressure following a terrible start with Kyle Orton under center.

The Broncos were the worst team in the NFL over the past two seasons since starting 6-0 in 2009. With Tebow as the starter, they managed to go on a magical run that saw them finish the season at 8-8 after starting the season 1-4 under Orton.

They would go on to win their division, host a playoff game and defeat the defending AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round in a major upset.

Despite all that, Tebow never really gained the trust of the organization. Since the time the Broncos' season ended in humiliating fashion to the New England Patriots in mid-January, Elway has repeatedly stressed that Tebow would have to win the job in training camp in order to remain the Broncos' starting quarterback come opening day in September.

Tebow is a terrible passing quarterback. Despite that, he may be the best quarterback in the league at running the football. He has amazing leadership skills and despite his flawed passing mechanics, he remains a solid quarterback due to his ability to keep the defense honest by completing the occasional deep ball.

Is there a chance that Tebow will one day become a good passing quarterback? Sure. Is there a chance that he'll have a better season than the one he had in 2011? Maybe so.

But from the Bronco's and Elway's perspectives, Tebow's value will never be higher than it is right now. If the Broncos are to get rid of Tebow and get some value in return, there will never be a better time than now.

What if the Broncos sign Peyton Manning, the only four-time MVP winner in NFL history and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time? It doesn't matter if 36 with only two good years left in him.

If Manning even returns to three-fourths of what he was in Indianapolis, the Broncos may be Super Bowl contenders with their solid running game.

Broncos fans would feel content and enthused about signing the biggest free agent on the market. The team could dump Tebow without risking tons of backlash from the fan base.

Will there still be a lot of backlash from the fan base if Tebow, the most popular player in the NFL, is traded? Of course.

But can you envision a better scenario if you're in John Elway's shoes? There was no way the Broncos could trade Tebow in the offseason unless they replaced him with somebody of Manning's magnitude.

However, with the Broncos in the driver's seat to acquire Manning's services, it's now or never when it comes to trading Tebow.

Tebow's stock is probably as high as it'll ever be. The Broncos sign Manning. After a couple of years of Manning in a Broncos jersey, Elway and the organization can draft their hand picked man at quarterback to lead the franchise over the next decade.

Is it the right decision to trade Tebow? Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell. The one thing we can conclude is that the Broncos do not have confidence in Tebow to be the starting quarterback.

To be honest, they never really did from day one.