Tebowmania was running wild in 2011, after the quarterback led the Denver Broncos to a 7-4 record and an unlikely playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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The dream season ended with a 45-10 beatdown at the hands of the New England Patriots, but it seemed like the foundation for success had been set.
It wasn't to be though, as on March 20, 2012, Denver signed free agent quarterback Peyton Manning. The very next day, Tebow was shipped off to the New York Jets. His career would fall apart, spending time with New York, the New England Patriots and eventually the Philadelphia Eagles before being tossed back to the broadcast table with the SEC Network.
In a sitdown interview with the Denver Post, it sounds like general manager John Elway might have felt pressure to keep Tebow around had he not landed Manning.
"Because Tebow had such a fan base behind him — there was probably only one guy that we could have replaced him with that people would understand," Elway says. "And that was Peyton Manning."
How different could Tebow's career have been if Manning had chosen another franchise? How would Manning's career have ended?
We'll never really know, despite Tebow's continued attempts at getting back into the league.
