"I can't imagine a scenario where he would be a Jacksonville Jaguar," Caldwell said at his introductory news conference.
It's rare you hear a whoosh come over an NFL news conference crowd. Some of the media members seemed taken aback.
"Even if he's released?" one reporter asked.
"Even if he's released," Caldwell said.
Well, there you go. That's why all the reporting last month that said it was a "virtual certainty" Tebow would land in Jacksonville after one season with the New York Jets was so curious. Perhaps Jaguars ownership wanted him, but the ultimate decision-maker was not in place yet.
Caldwell is making those decisions, and he made it clear that Tebow won't have a future with the team. Caldwell noted Blaine Gabbert was the second-youngest quarterback in the NFL and that he would compete for a starting job next season.
"There will be an open competition," Caldwell said.
It just won't include Tebow. With the Jaguars out of the picture, we seriously doubt Tebow will get a legitimate chance to start at quarterback anywhere in 2013.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
