Original post, 11:32 a.m. March 21: When Peyton Manning inked with the Broncos, it was only a matter of time before Tim Tebow wound up with a new address.ESPN's Adam Schefter put the facts as simply as possible in this tweet:
Now he's reportedly got one: The Chosen One has been traded to the New York Jets. And the price tag was mighty modest.
Denver traded quarterback Tim Tebow to the NY Jets.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2012
But the real story here is how little the Broncos got for the man credited with transforming an abysmal 2011-2012 season into a conference championship and a playoff win against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers. Denver will reportedly receive two picks from the Jets -- a fourth rounder and a sixth rounder. However, the Broncos are also sending a seventh-round pick to New York along with the other Mr. T.
That's a paltry package considering that the Broncos, under the horrific Josh McDaniels regime, spent a first-round draft pick on Tebow in 2010. However, it's also an indication of how desperately John Elway and company wanted Timmy out of town. Given his off-the-charts star power, he's a walking, talking distraction. Clearly the powers that be want the focus on their freshly signed future Hall of Famer, not a guy who many NFL observers see as a novelty act.
No tweet from No. 15 about the trade thus far. But his brother Peter Tebow, a budding pastor recently profiled in this space, shared a seemingly pointed retweet by Christian author Randy Alcorn on Monday, right around the time the Manning-to-the-Broncos deal went public:
Suffering can help us know God and prepare us to trade a shallow life not worth keeping for a deeper life we'll never lose.
— Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) March 19, 2012
The word "trade" tends to stand out in this tweet, doesn't it?
Meanwhile, the current Jets QB, Mark Sanchez, who's been under fire since his subpar performance this past season, is already hearing it from Twitter Nation. Some examples:
Omg #tebowtime is really a jet? Mark Sanchez is definitely crying
— STORY OF MY LIFE (@weEKendproblms) March 21, 2012
RT @ChrisGFields: What a vicious cycle... Tebow to the Jets. What does Mark Sanchez do now? *Kill him self*
— Jay Corbin(@Sneakersensei) March 21, 2012
In related news Mark Sanchez will be going to the Arizona Cardinals, where USC players go to die.
— Kyle Emerick (@KyleEmerick) March 21, 2012
And then there's this from Jimmy Traina, the man who circulated the video that seemed to feature (but really didn't) an Arizona news anchor saying "Fuck!" after the Peyton news broke:
Yes, Timmy, there's a lot of temptation in the Big Apple. Staying pure just got a whole lot harder.First order of business for Tim Tebow when he sees Mark Sanchez: Explain this pic: bit.ly/GGEIM8
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) March 21, 2012
Update: One more thing: The news about Tebow broke quickly -- so quickly that at this writing, 9News' home page features an item about Timmy heading to the Jets mighty close to one in which Peyton Manning talks about how happy he is to be the Tebowing master's teammate:
It could have been a beautiful friendship....Follow and like the Michael Roberts/Westword Facebook page.
More from our Media archive: "Peyton Manning signing Black Monday for Tim Tebow fans, says Dan Caplis."
