New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick appears to have left the door open for former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow to return to his roster this season.
When asked Monday about Tebow coming back to the Patriots, Belichick did not rule it out.
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"I don't know what's going to happen the rest of the year, but certainly we've had a lot of players come back,''
Belichick told the Providence Journal.
The New England Patriots, like many NFL teams, has only two quarterbacks on its active roster – starter and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and backup Ryan Mallett. If one of them is injured, a spot would open up, possibly for Tebow.
The Associated Press reported that the Patroits released Tebow on Saturday, as
NFL teams trimmed their rosters to the required 53-player limit.
Tebow completed 11 of 30 for 145 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in three exhibition games,
according to NFL.com.
''There are a million things that go into every decision, personnel decision,'' Belichick told the AP. ''There are a lot of things that play off one another. In the end, we did what we thought was best for the team, at every position, every one.''
When the Patriots signed Tebow on June 11, it was likely Tebow might play other positions, especially since Aaron Hernandez was released and Rob Gronkowski was injured. But Tebow never worked out with any unit other than the quarterbacks.
Before he was cut,
Patriots owner Robert Kraft told ESPN that he was "rooting for" Tebow to make the Patriots regular season roster. Tebow also trained under Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who drafted and worked with Tebow while he was head coach for the Denver Broncos.
"You got a great coaching staff, great players and I'm getting to watch one of the best to ever play the game in Tom (Brady)," Tebow said,
according to the New York Daily News. "You get to sit in the meeting with him, talk to him, come out here and train together. There are a lot of different ways you pick up a lot of good things, a lot of good traits."
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