George Kittle explains why Tim Tebow wasn't invited to Tight End University
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and retired NFL tight end Greg Olsen co-founded Tight End University earlier this year, an offseason summit in Nashville.
Tim Tebow is not invited to the inaugural camp, where over 50 NFL tight ends will train together this summer.
Kittle explained the reasoning behind Tebow's omission when he and Olsen visited with "Pardon My Take" on Monday.
"Nothing against Tim Tebow, but I found it hard to invite—I wish nothing for the best for Tim Tebow, and I hope he has a fantastic season playing tight end, but it's hard for me to not invite, like, a backup tight end on let's say the New York Giants as opposed to inviting a guy that just started playing the position. Because, the thing is, we do have limited spots. "I wish I could make it a brand—hey, every NFL tight end can come. It's accessible to everybody. But what we tried to do this year is we wanted to pay for everything for other tight ends to come. To kind of make it a special event for all tight ends. ... Hopefully in the next years to come, we can make it open and available to everybody."
Olsen then said that Tebow is invited to next year's camp "if he's on a roster this year."
"Once he's officially a tight end, we would love to work with him," the former Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks tight end clarified.
Olsen, who announced his retirement in January, also spoke to just how difficult it is to successfully play the position in the NFL.
Tebow signed a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars in late May. The former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is attempting to switch to tight end with the Jags despite last appearing in the NFL during the 2015 preseason with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rumblings first began around the 33-year-old on NFL Draft Day in late April.
More recently, earlier this month, Jags first-year head coach Urban Meyer gave an update on Tebow's progress and what odds he has to actually make the team's 53-man roster.
Tebow became a national college football star under Urban Meyer at Florida from 2006-09. The Gators won two then-BCS national championships with Tebow under center.
The Denver Broncos used their first-round pick (25th overall) on Tebow in 2010. Against all football odds, as he was an inaccurate thrower once hitting the NFL, he magically led the Broncos on a playoff run in 2011.
Denver traded Tebow to the New York Jets in March 2012, and he appeared in 12 games — starting only two — before getting cut in April 2013. Tebow's last regular-season appearance was with the Jets during the 2012 season, and his pro quarterbacking career flamed out with short stints in New England (2013) and Philly ('15).
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