Tim Tebow's long, lonely walk through free agency had to end this way. The New England Patriots and Tim Tebow belong together in some indescribable, inarguable way. It all feels preordained.
So why will Patriots coach Bill Belichick sign Tebow? Let's count the reasons.
1. There will be no circus
Perhaps Tebow's biggest flaw, aside from that pesky accuracy issue, is the attention that he brings. NFL teams don't want to deal with so much attention for a backup quarterback. The Patriots know how to squash media attention like no other NFL team.
It's safe to say the Patriots won't hold a massive press conference on their indoor practice field in order to handle all the media requests for Tebow.
"He's never going to be at the podium," former New England Patriot and current NFL Network analyst Heath Evans told Around The League. "He's going to be treated like he's nothing special. That's just the way they work."
Evans believes Tebow will turn into a "non-story." The Patriots have done it plenty of times before.
"He's just going to be expected to go with the normal Patriots PR quotes: talk about yourself, don't talk about the past, don't talk about the future, talk about right here and right now," Evans said. "Manage expectations."
2. Belichick did Tim Tebow
and Urban Meyer a solid
There was a consistent buzz before the 2010 NFL Draft that the Patriots were interested in drafting Tebow. Belichick has talked up Tebow publicly many times and is close friends with then-Florida coach Urban Meyer. The NFL often is about relationships, and that helped pave the way for a deal here. The Tebow-Patriots union created a lot of strange one-word reactions Monday, but it actually made sense in a historical context.
We heard before the '10 draft that Tebow's camp was spreading the word that Tebow received a guarantee from the Patriots that the team would draft him in the second round if he was available. Tebow didn't last that long because Josh McDaniels and the Denver Broncos took him in the first round. Which reminds us ...
3. Josh McDaniels
If McDaniels could convince Bill Belichick to sign Michael Hoomanawanui and Greg Salas, the Patriots offensive coordinator should have enough sway to push for a Tebow signing.
4. To stick it to Michael Silver
I'm half kidding. But only half. Silver, who is a friend and a fantastic writer, last month had a source who claimed there was "no chance" the Patriots would sign Tebow. The source said Bill Belichick "hated" Tebow as a player.
So what did Belichick do? He released a strongly worded statement and is about to sign Tebow.
Belichick wouldn't solely sign a player to get back at a reporter. But we've heard more than enough behind-the-scenes stories to know that Belichick enjoys sticking it to the media from time to time. Consider this reason a nice bonus.
5. To see if Tebow sticks
We've already overanalyzed this move. We don't know Tebow's role with the Patriots because the Patriots don't know his role yet, either. Belichick loves to sign veteran players, throw them against the training-camp wall and see who sticks. In that sense, Tebow is no different than Tommy Kelly, Donald Jones, Jake Ballard and Leon Washington. Tebow is not so different from guys like Anthony Gonzalez who got a test drive in New England.
6. Because it's the perfect fit
Belichick focuses on what players can do, rather than worry about their limitations. He prizes versatility. If ever there's a perfect fit for Tebow in the NFL, it's New England. This is Tebow's chance to be a useful role player like hundreds of other guys in the NFL who don't create headlines. This is his NFL destiny.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.