Tim Tebow ESPN contract extension announced amid sweeping layoffs

Former Florida Gators and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN, the sports broadcasting network announced July 20.

“I love this game and getting to talk about it every Saturday with the crews on SEC Network and ESPN is a gift I don’t take lightly,” Tebow said in a statement. “SEC fans bring a passion that never gets old, and I’m grateful I get to keep doing this alongside people who feel like family.”

The statement mentions that Tebow will continue to appear on SEC Nation, the SEC Network’s weekly Saturday morning pregame show he has appeared on for the past decade, in addition to doing work on ESPN’s College Football Live and SportsCenter.

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“Tim is one of the legendary players in the history of college football and he will continue to be a fixture in our coverage on SEC Network and across ESPN,” ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said in a statement. “Tim’s unrivaled experience in the SEC combined with his knowledge and genuine passion for the game make him one of the sport’s most credible voices, particularly among the SEC Nation fanbase.”

Who is Tim Tebow?

Tim Tebow was born in the Philippines and moved with his family to Jacksonville when he was three years old.

He attended Nease High School, where he was a standout quarterback. Tebow led his team to winning the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A football championship and was voted the winner of the Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football award in 2005, before committing to the University of Florida.

In three seasons as the Gators’ starting quarterback, Tebow threw for nearly 9,000 yards and 83 touchdowns. He won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in Gainesville, after he threw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2007, while leading the Gators to a 9-4 overall record.

Tebow was selected as the 25th pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He played with the Broncos for two seasons before moving on to the New York Jets for the 2012-13 season. He was briefly signed to play tight end with the Jacksonville Jaguars in May 2021, but ultimately was released months later in August.

Now, Tebow, alongside entrepreneur Ricky Caplin and fellow NFL legend Fred Taylor, is a part of the ownership group behind Sporting Club Jacksonville. 

When did Tim Tebow join ESPN?

“Tebow has been a fixture in SEC Network/ESPN college football programming for over a decade after first joining the company in 2014,” Magnus said in a statement. “He has been a key voice on SEC Nation for the past 13 seasons and will once again join the desk for an action-packed fall.”

Who got laid off from ESPN?

Tebow’s extension comes as ESPN undergoes another round of layoffs, with several high-profile names reportedly affected as reported by Forbes:

• Karl Ravech
• Cam Newton
• Tom Pelissero
• Ryan Clark
• Stephania Bell
• David Lloyd
• Charles Davis
• Bart Scott
• Andreas Hale
• Dan Hajducky

Why is ESPN laying off so many people?

The NFL sold its media entity, namely its network, to ESPN in a deal that gave the NFL a 10% stake in the company and required layers of government approval before being approved in January 2026.

ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said in an all-staff memo July 21 that most of the job cuts are a result of the acquisition.

“Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN,” Pitaro said in the memo obtained by USA TODAY Sports. “Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.”

“While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tim Tebow ESPN contract extension announced amid sweeping layoffs