Before signing Jay Cutler, Dolphins reportedly considered ... Tim Tebow?

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer

The Miami Dolphins were so desperate at quarterback, they reportedly were considering signing a left fielder from the St. Lucie Mets.

Just when you thought you’d heard the last of Tim Tebow in regards to the NFL, Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero reported this after the Dolphins signed Jay Cutler.

Whaaaaaaat? Now, Salguero followed that up by saying some of those names “were eliminated very quickly.” So the conversation could have been: “Hey what about Tebow?” “Hahahaha, seriously, who are we going to sign?” We don’t know.

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But the fact that Tebow was mentioned, however briefly, in connection with any NFL job in 2017 is rather mind bending. Tebow has not thrown an NFL regular-season pass since 2012. His last NFL touchdown pass was the overtime game-winner against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a wild-card playoff game at the end of the 2011 season. That seems like a lifetime ago.

Tebow, as you’ve probably heard, has taken up a baseball career. He’s actually doing OK in the Mets minor-league system, hitting .238 with eight homers and 46 runs batted in along two stops on the single-A level. One has to assume that had the Dolphins gotten to the point where they’d call him – again, “considered” is far, far, far from deciding to make an offer – then St. Lucie would need a new outfielder. Gase coached Tebow when the two were with the Denver Broncos. So it seems like the Dolphins just made a list of players who know the offense well enough to come in and compete right away, and then Colin Kaepernick made that list too. Cutler, who played with Gase in Chicago two seasons ago, signed after some prodding to come out of retirement.

And you thought Cutler coming out of retirement was a good story. Just imagine had Miami gotten so desperate that they had tried to get Tebow off the baseball diamond.

The Dolphins reportedly discussed Tim Tebow, who is currently playing baseball in the Mets' organization, when they were looking for a quarterback. (AP)
The Dolphins reportedly discussed Tim Tebow, who is currently playing baseball in the Mets’ organization, when they were looking for a quarterback. (AP)

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!