Less than 24 hours after Peyton Manning picked the Broncos to be his next team, five franchises already have contacted Denver in regard to a potential trade for Tim Tebow, a league source told NFL Network's Michael Lombardi on Tuesday.
Moments after the news broke on Monday that Manning would be signing with the Broncos, a source told NFL Network's Albert Breer that the team had begun to explore Tebow trades and were looking for a trading partner.
Tebow threw for 12 touchdown passes and six interceptions while leading the team to seven wins in 11 starts. He led the Broncos to a 29-23 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild-card game before falling to the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
Some are skeptical of Tebow's ability to be a long-term starter, despite his successful record with the Broncos. Tebow had a completion percentage of 46.5 last season and threw for 1,729 yards. NFL Network analyst Brian Billick was among those wondering about Tebow, saying he would be reluctant to pick up the quarterback if he were making football decisions with a team.
Broncos veteran running back Willis McGahee told NFL Network that there will be teams that want Tebow.
"I don't think it's going to be an issue for him," McGahee said. "I don't know what Tim Tebow is thinking. But Tebow is going to be fine, regardless of the situation or wherever he goes. Tim is going to succeed wherever he goes."
NFL Network's Albert Breer reports that Tebow's value depends on just who is inquiring about his services.
"His value could be good, it could be really bad, depending on what teams get involved," said one NFC personnel executive. "Intangibles are off the charts, but his talent? Who knows right now? ... He's a wild card. Thing is, you've got to run a certain kind of offense. And if you're not willing to do that, which a lot of teams aren't, then he has no value at all. At our place? There wouldn't be value, besides as a backup player, and with his intangibles. But I'm sure it's all over the board."
