Tim Tebow: Jaguars Fans Can Breathe Easy, Tebow Would Have Destroyed Franchise

The Jacksonville Jaguars pounced on the chance to land Tim Tebow, but they lucked out when the Denver Broncos elected to ship the 24-year-old quarterback to the New York Jets. 

I know that the Jaguars and their fans were excited about the prospect of landing a hometown hero who just led the Broncos to the playoffs last season. But while Tebow would have created buzz around the team, he also would have sunk the franchise in the long run.

Jacksonville already has a young quarterback on its roster, and while Blaine Gabbert struggled during his rookie season, adding Tebow to the mix wasn't going to improve the situation. Gabbert needs time to develop, and bringing in another young quarterback would have just stunted his growth.

When the Jaguars traded up six spots to select Gabbert with the 10th pick in the 2011 NFL draft, they made a commitment to him as the team's future under center. While his rookie season was brutal, it's not like Tebow was much better statistically.

In 2011, Gabbert completed just 50.8 percent of his passes for 2,214 yards, with 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His yards per attempt (5.36) and passer rating (65.4) ranked dead last among the 34 quarterbacks who qualified league-wide. That said, Tebow wasn't much better.

The Florida product completed a league-worst 46.5 percent of his passes for 1,729 yards, with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating of 72.9 ranked 28th. 

Tebow is not yet a good NFL quarterback. Yes, he adds another dimension to the game because he can run the ball, but if Gabbert had to look over his shoulder at an immensely popular local legend, it would destroy his already shaky confidence.

Gabbert has the tools to be a very good NFL quarterback, but he needs time to develop. Bringing Tebow to Jacksonville would have halted that growth. If Gabbert doesn't work out, then he doesn't work out, but the kid needs to have a chance.

Playing quarterback roulette with Tebow would have blocked any chance Gabbert had at improving and would have taken the Jags down with it.