Russian Team Offers Tim Tebow $1 Million to Play Two Games
While free agent quarterback Tim Tebow continues his search for work in the NFL, one Russian team has offered him $1 million to play in just two games.
Mikhail Zaltsman, owner of the Moscow Black Storm football team, told Russia Beyond the Headlines his plan is to fly Tebow in to play in an American Football Championship of Russia (AFCR) semifinal game against the Moscow Patriots at the end of the month. If his team wins, Tebow would also play in the league's championship game.
"I talked with him personally and he wanted to go," Zaltsman told RBTH.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The team owner also said Tebow's agents are standing in the way of the deal.
"They're thinking of using him as a motivational speaker," he said. "They don't want him to play football."
Tebow was cut by the New England Patriots in August after the team's last preseason game, and has been searching for a home in the NFL ever since. The 26-year-old Christian quarterback reportedly received an offer from one NFL team to try out for a position other than quarterback, but he declined. Several Arena Football League teams are also reportedly interested in him, though he has not yet committed to any organization.
"I will remain in relentless pursuit of continuing my lifelong dream of being an NFL quarterback," Tebow said in a message on Twitter after being released by the Patriots.
If Tebow were to join the Black Storm for just two games he would become the highest-paid player in the AFCR, according to RBTH. Tebow is used to playing in stadiums filled with tens of thousands of people, but the Russian league's record for attendance at any one game is only about 2,000 people.
Unlike NFL rules, AFCR rules would allow Tebow to sport Bible verse references on his eye black, just as he did while playing for the University of Florida Gators.
Tebow, who has a reputation not only for being an outspoken Christian but also for working hard, was recently filmed by iFolloSports.com while training at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He regularly speaks at conferences and churches and, despite having been just a backup quarterback for the New York Jets last season, was named America's most influential athlete in a Forbes.com survey released in May.
