In spite of the excellent weather and overwhelming number of football crazed fans in their state, over the past few seasons the Jaguars have had a difficult time trying to sell tickets to their home games. Much has been made of this fact and while Jacksonville is certain to have a team for the short term, the possibility still remains that the Jaguars could leave for greener pastures in the near future.

A possible solution to that problem has been proposed by many this off-season, in the form of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow.

While Tebow would not be the savior of the franchise on the field, his popularity among the potential purchasers of tickets is unquestionable, and as such an acquisition of his services by Jacksonville would undoubtedly boost ticket sales for next season at the very least.

Such a decision seems absurd on first glance, but in reality the NFL is still a business and making money is the most important characteristic of a successful franchise in the eyes of the owners. So any way that the Jaguars can make that happen would theoretically be a wise decision, even if it entails drafting a player higher than they are valued, which would be the case with Tebow.

For his part, Jacksonville owner Wayne Weaver is doing his best to prevent the discussion from going in that direction this off-season, but it is clear that the Jaguars could definitely benefit monetarily speaking from the addition of Tebow to their roster.

“Personally, I think Tim Tebow is an extraordinary young man and he’s an extraordinary athlete. He’s going to be successful in the National Football League. What we’ve got to do is trust our value board in our draft. If we force a pick, then we devalue thousands of hours of work by our scouts. We have to be true to our mission and go take the best player with our pick. When we do that, we get good results.”

– Jacksonville owner Wayne Weaver

Tebow himself has stayed fairly mum on the issue of taking his game the short distance from Gainesville to Jacksonville, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that he would undoubtedly welcome the opportunity to play in front of fans that adore him eight times a year.

Having spent four seasons in the one of college football’s biggest spotlights with the Gators, Tebow is accustomed to being the star of the show, and while he wouldn’t see a tremendous amount of playing time behind quarterback David Garrard, just having him on the team would most definitely bring a welcome amount of attention from both the fans and the national media.

All of that translates into money sooner or later, and for a team that is desperate to stay afloat alongside it’s wealthier and more popular brethren to the south, that is all that matters in the long run of things.

Obviously, it’s important that the coaching staff and front office be capable of making roster decisions, and not concern themselves with ticket sales outside of putting a quality product on the field. But in the end, the sacrifice will have to be made in one way or another, as the bottom line of the team’s finances will eventually dictate what happens to the club, be it a move to a different locale or a draft choice of Tebow. Simply carrying on with the status quo is not acceptable.

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