As Peyton Manning gets closer to a decision about his future (hopefully, he’s not getting farther away from making up his mind), the Broncos remain extremely viable -- especially with the Dolphins reportedly focusing on Matt Flynn and the Cardinals having to decide by 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday whether to keep Kevin Kolb on the roster and owe him $7 million as of Saturday.
If the Broncos land Manning, it’s highly likely that they’ll send Tim Tebow packing.
The only unknown is Tebow’s next destination. While some self-styled professors of football have professed that the arrival of Chad Henne in Jacksonville closes the door on Tim returning to his hometown, the only thing that will remove the tarps is Tebowmania. And the extra money coming from a truly sold out stadium would quickly recoup a wasted $3 million signing bonus on Henne.
But that’s not the only possible Florida destination for the former Gator. If the Dolphins swing and miss on Manning (which necessarily will be the case if he signs with the Broncos) and also fail to secure the services of Flynn, the only way owner Stephen Ross can make a big splash in the short term would be to put his trust in Tebow.
Ross saw the power of Tebow last year, via that goofy University of Florida reunion that ended up being the coming-out party for the visiting team’s quarterback. And while Tebow would possibly give ulcers to offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, let’s not forget that Sherman while at Texas A&M turned a part-time quarterback/part-time receiver into the hottest 2012 prospect not named Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.
Besides, Tebow’s impact on the locker room could be potent. “Young man is blessed,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said last year. “Young man has a special anointing on him. And for God to show himself in that game the way He did, through the guy He did it through, it opened a lot of guys’ eyes on our team. And it brought a lot of guys closer to God, so like I said, everything happens for a reason. . . . My hat goes off to Tim. And God working through him like that, it opened up a lot of eyes.”
While John Elway is trying his best to find an excuse to look away, the eyes of owner Stephen Ross would surely be wide open. And he’s be seeing nothing but dollar signs.