NFL roundup: Tebow may be headed for Jaguars
New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow is a "virtual certainty" to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars next season, ESPN reported Sunday.
Tebow will reportedly be traded or released by the Jets at the end of the season. ESPN, citing league sources, reported that the Jets will honor Tebow's request to be released so he can become a free agent.
The Jaguars offered a fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos in March and owner Shad Khan offered to pay the Broncos $3 million to get Tebow, but could not guarantee him playing time. Jacksonville was committed to Blaine Gabbert, which it drafted in the first round last year.
Instead, the former Florida star ended up going to the Jets for fourth- and sixth-round draft picks. The Broncos also paid the Jets $2.53 million.
Jacksonville is interested in Tebow again since Gabbert has struggled in his second year. Chad Henne recently took over as the starter.
Tebow has played very little with the Jets and was passed over in favor of second-year quarterback Greg McElroy when coach Rex Ryan benched Mark Sanchez as the starter this week.
---Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, appealing his four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, argued that his urine specimen was contaminated while being collected for testing, ESPN reported Sunday.
A verdict is expected later in the week so Sherman was allowed to play Sunday night's key NFC West showdown against the visiting San Francisco 49ers.
Sherman's appeal was heard on Friday. He reportedly claimed that the cup containing his urine was leaking, prompting the collector to place a second cup underneath it to catch the leakage.
---Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck set the NFL rookie passing yards record in the second quarter Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Luck passed the 4,051-yards mark, which was set last season by Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers. Luck completed 11 of 22 passes for 156 yards as of early in the third quarter with the Colts ahead 13-10.
---Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh set the NFL single-season record with his ninth field goal of more than 50 yards Sunday against the Houston Texans.
He set the mark with a career-long and team record 56-yarder in the second quarter to put Minnesota ahead 10-3. The previous record of eight was held by Morten Anderson (1995) and Jason Hanson (2008).
---Washington Redskins kicker Kai Forbath set an NFL record by connecting on the first 17 field-goal attempts of his career.
Forbath kicked 45- and 42-yard field goals in the first half of Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles to set the mark. Garrett Hartley kicked 16 straight for the New Orleans Saints in 2008-09.
---Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer left Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers in the first half with a rib injury after taking a hard hit to his back from defensive end Greg Hardy.
Palmer was replaced by Matt Leinart.
---Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler left Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins with a left knee injury and did not return. Chandler has 43 catches for 571 yards with six touchdowns.
--Denver Broncos cornerback Tracy Porter left Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns in the first quarter with a concussion.
--Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton made contact with official Jerome Boger in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Raiders. Newton wanted a penalty after being taken down to the ground hard. Newton was assessed a 15-yard penalty and may get fined. Newton apologized after the game and said that he also apologized to Boger.
