With the announcement that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon is reviving the XFL, a couple polarizing former NFL quarterbacks' names were quickly linked to the league, with fans wondering: Will these guys suit up for XFL 2.0 to give their football careers another shot?
The first name that seemingly popped into everyone's head was that of Johnny Manziel, the former Texas A&M standout and first-round pick who washed out of the NFL after two extremely troubled seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Given his flashy persona and off-the-field issues, he seemed like a perfect fit for the XFL, right? That, however, seems very unlikely, as it appears the XFL wants to steer clear of anyone with a criminal record—which precludes Manziel.
McMahon did say, however, that another big-name former NFL QB could join the league: Tim Tebow. Tebow, who primarily played for the Broncos, seems perfectly happy playing minor-league baseball and providing NCAA football analysis for ESPN, but would he consider giving his football dreams another go with the XFL?
Sports Illustrated asked Tebow that very question, alluding to McMahon's apparent desire to welcome the former Florida Gator into his new league.
"That's very nice of him, but 2020 is a long way from now," Tebow responded, referring to the XFL's far-out launch date. "I'm focused on today, I'm focused on spring training and a lot of things before that. I'm not even close to thinking about that right now."
SI followed up with, "So that’s not a 'no' or a 'yes.'"
"What if it's a 'I have no idea?'" Tebow responded. "That's in 2020 and I'm super excited about baseball."
At least he didn't close the door definitively. It seems like this might actually be a possibility, depending on how things go for Tebow in the minor-league circuit in the next two years.
The former first-round pick and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner is jockeying to move up in the New York Mets organization.
