Tim Tebow should think long and hard about which sport he wants to pursue. The former Florida Gators quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner is still trying his hand at professional baseball despite a horrible 2019 season and the fact that minor league baseball players are paid like dirt.
Money clearly isn't a factor. Tebow is still worth a good chunk of change thanks to his college football analyst job, multiple books and other endeavors. But there's a reason Tebow is constantly asked: Why not give up baseball (a sport he has no future in) and return to football, the sport you mastered and captivated the world playing in college?
Opportunity has knocked on his door. Steve Spurrier wanted Tebow to play for the AAF's Orlando Apollos, but he shot that notion down. Now, another league has shown interest in Tebow.
Tim Tebow XFL Interest
Tebow said XFL teams were interested in bringing him back, but the 32-year-old killed that idea like he did the AAF.
Why? Because his heart is set on baseball.
"Yeah there was some communication. We had a couple conversations... I love what they're doing, and I think it has a chance to have success, and I think that's great.
"I think there needs to be a place for a lot of players that are really good, and should and could be playing in the NFL, and are better than a lot of NFL players. There's a chance they're going to be seen. So I think it's awesome, and I think it's good for a lot of guys that are going to get a spot on an NFL roster because they're going to show a team they're worth it. But for me, this is what I wanted to do and pursue it, and be all in."
— Tim Tebow to reporters at New York Mets spring training complex in Port St. Lucie
Tebow would instantly become the face of the XFL. The DC Defenders' Cardale Jones and Dallas Renegades' Landry Jones are two high-profile signal callers, but nabbing a big-name player like Tebow would do wonders for Vince McMahon's first-year league.
Visualize it: Tebow walks into Raymond James Stadium as thousands of Tampa Bay Vipers fans go wild. He throws his first touchdown, reminiscent of his national championship days up the road in Gainesville. Ratings soar. Merchandise flies off the racks.
Is Tebow sure he really wants to turn that down?
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Money is clearly not a factor, but I'll throw this out there: The average XFL salary is about $55,000 and the top quarterbacks make nearly $500,000. That's well above the average salary of a minor league baseball player, who typically makes less than a school janitor.
Tebow's MLB dream is also unrealistic if you take a look at the stats. In four seasons while in the Mets organization, he's hit .222 with 18 home runs and 109 RBIs in 306 games during his pro baseball career.
While he hit a career-high .273 at Double-A Binghamton in 2018, he posted one of the worst batting averages in the International League while playing at Triple-A Syracuse last year. Still, the outfielder received an invite to Spring Training because the Mets are still milking the hell out of this cow. Tebow puts butts in seats no matter where he plays.
He would do the same in the XFL, as would Colin Kaepernick. Tebow played for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets and was signed by the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League.
The former first-round pick proved he could be an NFL quarterback when he went 7-4 and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round of the playoffs with the Broncos in 2011.
I know Tebow wants to be a Major League Baseball player one day, but maybe he should think twice and start tossing the pigskin again.
