Mike Mularkey: Tim Tebow would've diverted Jaguars

Former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey admitted the team explored the possibility of a trade for then-Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow last offseason. That was known. Mularkey also said Friday there were no intentions to start Tebow over Blaine Gabbert.

There was a significant concern about the drama that would come with the move to bring Tebow on board.

"It was definitely a concern," Mularkey said on NBC Sports Network's "Pro Football Talk." "Because we were going to go with Blaine Gabbert. ... We were going to find ways to get the ball to him, but we were going to go with Gabbert.

"It would have been a distraction. If Blaine would have failed early, it would have been the call to bring Tebow in, and that's not something you want for your football team. Any kind of distraction."

Mularkey said the Jaguars weren't going to be deterred by the fact that Gabbert had completed just 50.8 percent of his passes as a rookie, even though Tebow had led the Broncos to a playoff win. Mularkey had no question that Gabbert was the better option as a franchise quarterback.

The Jaguars, by the way, fired Mularkey and general manager Gene Smith after a 2-14 season, and the Jags might look to replace Gabbert in the draft two weeks from now. Meanwhile, the New York Jets still can't find another team willing to trade for Tebow.

There isn't a team in the league that will give Tebow a starting job outright. His best hope is for an opportunity to compete. And it doesn't look like there's a team interested in giving up any kind of pick for the former first-rounder.

The Jets flat-out releasing Tebow seems inevitable. It's just a matter of when.

Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.