Jacksonville Jaguars ownership remains interested in acquiring Tim Tebow. There's no reason to think they won't pull it off this time.
The odd timing of Saturday's ESPN report that Tebow is a "virtual certainty" to land in Jacksonville next season says a lot about the Jaguars' organization and where this pursuit is headed. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport uncovered a number of details regarding the expected Tebow pursuit:
» Tebow's camp has not been involved in any discussions, unlike last offseason when he essentially was given the choice to be traded to the Jaguars or New York Jets. Tebow's camp did not respond to the latest reports, and the Jets also were caught unaware. In short: This news is coming from Jacksonville.
» General manager Gene Smith and coach Mike Mularkey's futures in Jacksonville are uncertain. So it's clear this directive is coming from the top down. A team source told Rapoport that Tebow "will be a Jaguar." The Jaguars made an aggressive but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to acquire Tebow before this year's trading deadline.
» This almost goes without saying, but the move will be business-related. Tebow, who's from Jacksonville, will be able to fill seats. The plan is to have an open quarterback competition, no matter who is the coach.
» A trade remains very possible. Rapoport said don't be surprised if the Jaguars traded "peanuts" for Tebow to guarantee they land him.
The desire clearly is there from Jacksonville's side. There shouldn't be a lot of competition for Tebow's services, and Tebow is unlikely to have a better chance to play anywhere else, even if he hit free agency.
This is a marriage that looks destined to happen. Somewhere, Blaine Gabbert just sighed.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
