If you’ve started watching the new four-part docuseries Untold: Swamp Kings on Netflix, you may be wondering what happened to former Florida Gator and Denver Bronco quarterback Tim Tebow. Where is he now?
Tim Tebow was born in Manila, Philippines to Baptist missionary parents Pamela Elaine Tebow and Robert Ramsey Tebow II. As Tim Tebow explains in the docuseries, Pamela’s pregnancy was complicated and he was not expected to survive past birth. His parents called him a “miracle” baby.
When he was three years old, the Tebows moved to Jacksonville, Florida. The youngest of five, he grew up on a farm and was homeschooled until college.
In Florida, home-schooled children were allowed to play football for the high school teams in their town, so Tebow played for Allen D. Nease High School. There, his unique talents as a quarterback attracted attention, and by the time he was getting ready for college, he was among the best high school players in the country.
Several university teams were vying to recruit him, and he ultimately chose to play for the University of Florida at the urging of coach Urban Meyer.
What Happened to Tim Tebow’s Football Career?
During Tebow’s freshman year with the Florida Gators, the team won the 2006 national championship for the second time in its 100-year history.
In 2007, Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding college football player of the year.
In 2008, Tebow and the Gators won the national championship again. Tebow chose not to enter the 2009 NFL Draft and instead played his senior year with the Gators. He entered the NFL draft in 2010, where he was chosen as a first-round draft pick, 25th overall, by the Denver Broncos.
But Tebow’s first season in the NFL was less than stellar, finishing the season with the lowest passing completion rate in the league, according to Pro Football Reference. After his second year with the Broncos, he was traded to the New York Jets in 2012. The Jets released him in 2013 and he joined the Patriots during the offseason in June 2013, but he was cut from the team in August during training camp.
In April 2015, Tebow signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles but was again cut in September during the preseason, according to ESPN.
At that point, Tebow left the NFL. He played minor league baseball under the New York Mets’ umbrella in 2016 and played for various teams in the minor leagues through 2019, making it as high as Triple-A, according to ESPN. He retired from baseball in 2021, according to Bleacher Report.
That same year, he tried to reignite his NFL career by joining his old Florida Gators coach Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he hoped to play as a tight end rather than a quarterback. However, his time there was cut short, too, when he was released during the preseason when the team had to cut its roster number down to 85 players, according to NFL.com.
Where Is Tim Tebow Now?
In 2013, Tebow started working for ESPN as a college football analyst. Outside of professional sports, he is also a speaker and the author of the New York Times best-selling book Mission Possible. Known for his outspoken Christian and pro-life beliefs, he also started the Tim Tebow Foundation to “share the Gospel with as many vulnerable people as possible,” according to the TTF website.
In 2020, Tebow married 2017 Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters.
The couple currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida with their dogs Chunk, Kobe, and Paris, according to Tebow’s website.
All four episodes of Untold: Swamp Kings are now streaming on Netflix.
Main Image: Tim Tebow pictured in Untold: Swamp Kings courtesy of Netflix