At some point we could see NRL clubs heading into the 2014 season with a heap of salary cap space to spare and no one to spend that money on.
When clubs get to that point they have two options. They can use that spare salary cap space to give advance payments future signings, or, they can use that salary cap space to take a flier on players for one season and hope they strike gold.
Imagine for a second if a club decided to spend spare salary cap space to sign former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, purely from promotional purposes.
At 6 ft 3 in Tim Tebow is a big athlete that has proven he can run with the ball. As a quarterback Tebow is no stranger to handling the football on multiple possessions. Tebow is one of the highest profile athletes in the world and yet right now he can not get a job at an NFL club after being released by the New York Jets.
There is some talk that Tebow will have to look at the Canadian Football League or Arena Football League if he is going to continue his playing career. That is a huge step down from the sort of salary that he would command from an NFL club and brings him into the salary range of any potential NRL club that is willing to make some waves.
If an NRL club signed Tim Tebow it would be headline news not only across Australia, but across mainstream media in the United States. The exposure that an NRL clubs sponsors would gain during this time would be astronomical. It is fair to say Tim Tebows first Rugby League game would be watched by one of the biggest global audiences that have ever watched an NRL game.
From a promotional point of view, from the point of view of a club sponsor….signing Tim Tebow would make a lot of sense!
On the football side of things you would have to consider where you used him. My guess is you bring him off the bench as a second rower and see what impact he makes. His biggest issue would be in defense and his cardio would be a major concern. If he came over with the right attitude he might be able to do something for you.
It is a crazy idea, but I bet right now you’re smiling as you think about it. I bet you wouldn’t mind seeing how he went and the circus that surrounded his arrival and first game. If Rugby League played its cards right, it could use Tebows presence to promote the USARL and AMNRL in the United States and even the U.S. national team during the end of year World Cup.
It sounds outrageous. It sounds stupid. It doesn’t sound any worse than the AFL signing Israel Folau. He wouldn’t be any worse than Dwain Chambers performance at the Castleford Tigers in 2008. An NRL club wouldn’t have to commit millions of dollars and a long term contract to Tim Tebow. Just offer him a one year deal and a salary figure you can afford. At worst he rejects the offer and your club makes headlines just on the back of THAT!
As a last resort to make sure you don’t just waste salary cap space, it isn’t the worst idea in the world. Sure it might be too far off the worst idea in the world but hey, it would be fun while it lasted!
I heartily agree with this. I’d heard some rumours that a French rugby union side were in the running for signing Michael Vick when there was talk about the NFL not renewing his license. While they have a lot more money than a NRL club has access to, the thinking is sensible. Tebow would be possibly be a very useful winger also, with the ability to throw a pass over to a player on the other wing. It would certainly give the defenses something to think about.