After landing the most sought-after free agent in the NFL–Peyton Manning–the Denver Broncos are now rumored to be considering trading quarterback Tim Tebow rather than having him back up Manning, even after he helped lead them to the playoffs in 2011. The trade rumors have Tebow fans in an uproar and have garnered claims that he is being treated unfairly, since he was only given the chance to prove himself for a year. But it isn’t as if he’ll be cut loose for long; according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there are already some teams interested in picking up the young player.

The Jacksonville Jaguars may be the team to watch as this plays out, since their location alone may be reason enough for Tebow to choose them. Brad Culpepper, former NFL defensive tackle and ex-Florida Gator, is good friends with Tim, and he and his wife, Monica, say they wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where Tebow ended up.

“Brad and I just had dinner with Tim last week and I don’t think this comes as a shock or surprise to him that Manning was actually going to go there,” Monica said in an interview. “And in all honesty, Tim said, ‘I miss home. I miss the South. And hopefully I’ll land somewhere in Florida.’ I sure hope Jacksonville takes him because he’s such a great kid, such a good player and would be so thrilled to come back to the South.”

Tebow’s teammates seem to be in full support of the direction they are moving in, led by John Elway. Linebacker Von Miller said, “As far as what Mr. Elways is doing, that is what you have to be doing to be successful in this league,” he said. “You can’t just put all your eggs in one basket. It’s all up to Tim. In my opinion, I feel like he can get it done. But, looking at it from Mr. Elway’s point of view, you always got to be defining your options. What’s the next thing? And that’s just how the league is today.”

Twitter reaction was mixed at first, but Tebow has quite a loyal following of fans and they have supported him through his changes over the years. Some Denver fans are now questioning where their own loyalties lie and some say that if these rumors are true, they will have to re-evaluate their support for the Broncos.

The young athlete definitely has a lot of people in his corner, from fans to the companies he works as a spokesman for. They’re making it clear that no matter where his career takes him, they will be behind him; Jockey issued a statement to TMZ yesterday when the rumor mill first began to churn, saying, “Jockey brought Tim Tebow on as a spokesperson before he took his first professional snap and even before he finalized his contract with an NFL team. Jockey supports him 100% and we look forward to continuing our great relationship with Tim.”

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