Jaguars TE Josh Pederson unfairly compared to Tim Tebow

You have probably heard that the Jacksonville Jaguars signed tight end Josh Pederson. This might not have been big news if it hadn't been for the fact that Pederson is the son of head coach Doug Pederson. While the move was probably a byproduct of nepotism, it's not fair to criticize the younger Pederson for taking advantage of the opportunity. Even worse, comparing him to the addition of Tim Tebow in 2021 may be a bit of a reach.

Pederson announced this past weekend that he had signed with an NFL club. Although he didn't originally mention which club he had joined, reports about him joining the Jags surfaced. On Tuesday, the team announced the signing and released tight end Leonard Taylor in a corresponding move.

Right off the bat, talks about nepotism were brought to the table. Why would Pederson give his son the chance to join his team and get a shot at cracking the 53-man roster? For starters, the younger Pederson has always played tight end. Even though he went undrafted in 2021, he's spent time with the New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League.

After Pederson's contract with the Gamblers was terminated, which allowed him to pursue an opportunity in the NFL. In Jacksonville, he might have gotten an assist from him dad but he shouldn't get flak for it. Right now, teams can carry up to 90 players and he's not guaranteed a spot on the roster once the Jags start to make cuts.

The bottom line is that Pederson granted his son an opportunity to continue his NFL career. It's up to him to make the most of it. And make no mistake, most people benefit from having connections. Whether it's at the corporate level or the football field, lots of people benefit from nepotism or knowing the right person. There's no need to get the pitchforks out.

Jaguars TE Josh Pederson is nothing like Tim Tebow

While Josh Pederson hasn't made his NFL debut yet, he's years beyond Tim Tebow the tight end. In case you need a refresher, the former Florida Gator was given a chance to try out when Urban Meyer was the Jaguars head coach. But instead of playing quarterback like he had done throughout his career, he switch positions.

If Tebow had embraced a position change early in his NFL career, there's a chance he could be playing right now. But he insisted on playing quarterback even though he wasn't good at it. Meyer didn't care though and brought him in because he was his guy.

To nobody's surprise, Tebow came crashing down and Meyer had no choice but to cut him after the first 2021 preseason game. Since then, Tebow hasn't had another NFL tryout. It's also important to note that before joining Jacksonville he had been out of the league since 2012 and if Meyer hadn't come calling, he would have never gotten another chance.

Simply, the Josh Person/Tim Tebow comparison is off-base. And when you take into account that teams often give players the same chance, it should really be a non-news. If Pederson is good enough, the Jacksonville Jaguars will keep him around and if he isn't, they'll simply release him like they would do with any other player that wasn't good enough to make the cut.

Here are other recent Jaguars news you might also like: