If the plan for the Jacksonville Jaguars in signing Tim Tebow was to keep things as low-key and team-focused as possible, the fans didn’t get the memo on that one. Just a day after the former Heisman-winning quarterback agreed to terms with Jacksonville as a tight end, his merchandise is dominating the NFL store.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the top-five selling items on the official NFL shop are all Tebow-related merchandise, including his new No. 85 jersey (despite the fact that this is just the jersey he was assigned for the first day of practice and could change later).
At https://t.co/jHuhn4vMsP today, the top five selling items are all….Tim Tebow items. pic.twitter.com/k2wdJvX5lQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 21, 2021
The five items that are specifically atop the NFL’s list of highest selling items are Tebow’s men and women alternate jerseys, his youth jerseys, and numbered t-shirts. This comes weeks after Trevor Lawrence doubled the record of Day 1 draft selection jersey sales.
Critics of the decision to bring on Tebow have argued that this move was made simply for attention, or, more likely, because of the prior relationship coach Urban Meyer has for his former player. When looking at the frenzy to purchase Tebow-related Jaguars merchandise, it validates a lot of those arguments.
But, to their credit, most of this hype has been created independent of Tebow and the Jags. Meyer hasn’t spoken in great detail about the decision to bring Tebow in, and aside from a short statement he released through the Jaguars upon signing, the two-time national title-winning passer has been silent, as well.
Though he clearly has fan support behind him, Tebow’s chances of making the team remain fairly slim. But Jacksonville still needs tight end help, and it may not take much for Tebow to prove to Meyer that he’s deserving of a roster spot.