JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It's been almost a decade since Tim Tebow last played in a meaningful NFL game, but it's clear that he's just as popular now as he was in 2012.
One day after the Jacksonville Jaguars officially signed Tebow as a tight end, the former Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner's No. 85 jersey was among the top-selling items Friday morning on the NFL Shop website.
Both the men's, women's and youth jerseys were the top three sellers, as were men's and women's T-shirts sporting Tebow's new jersey number.
The jersey sales surpassed those of five-time Super Bowl MVP and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, as well as first-round draft picks Justin Fields (Chicago Bears), DeVonta Smith (Philadelphia Eagles) and Trey Lance (San Francisco 49ers).
Tebow's jersey sales also leapfrogged No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence, the former national championship-winning Clemson star who was drafted by Jacksonville to become the team's franchise quarterback.
By signing with Jacksonville, Tebow is reunited with first-year Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, who was his college coach at Florida.
During their time together with the Gators, Tebow and Meyer combined to win two national championships, a pair of Southeastern Conference titles and 48 games from 2006-09. Tebow also won the 2007 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first sophomore to do so.
Tebow was a first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2010. After leading the Broncos to the playoffs in 2011, Tebow was traded to the New York Jets the next year. He started just two games before being released.
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Despite playing for the New England Patriots and Eagles during the 2013 and 2015 preseasons, he never made the final rosters and ultimately decided to pursue a professional baseball career.
Tebow played minor league baseball with the New York Mets organization from 2016-19, making it as high as Triple-A. He went to spring training with the Mets in 2020 but didn't play during the season and then announced his retirement from baseball earlier this year.
Although his comeback attempt may not amount to much, the Jaguars website also seems to be capitalizing on Tebow's popularity with an advertisement welcoming the newest Jaguars next to pictures of his jersey alongside Lawrence's No. 16 and (Jacksonville's other first-round pick) Travis Etienne's No. 1 jerseys.
Tebow has never caught a pass in the NFL or college.