Four years after his disappointing tenure in New York Jets football, Tim Tebow decided to try his career in baseball.
He reportedly signed a contract with New York Mets with to play in minor league.
According to Bloomberg, in a minor league contract with the Mets, Tebow received a $100,000 signing bonus.
He will report to the Instructional League in Port St. Lucie, Florida on Sept. 18 to test his baseball skills.
Based on the result from the test, New York Mets will decide his option. Tebow will either go to the Arizona Fall League, a winter league or gets personal tutoring to prepare for spring training.
The Mets claimed that signing the former quarterback is not a publicity stunt. General manager Sandy Alderson said he was intrigued by the possibility of Tebow career in MLB.
As previously, there are only Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and Brian Jordan who had extensive careers in both MLB and NFL in the last 30 years.
"While I and the organization, I think, are mindful of the novel nature of this situation, this decision was strictly driven by baseball," Alderson said on a conference call with Tebow and agent Brodie Van Wagenen on Thursday as Fox News reported.
Meanwhile Tebow said his baseball career is not a walk in the park. But he is willing to do it.
"I know this is a tough game," Tebow told ESPN. "But I'm looking forward to putting in the work and I felt like this was the best fit."
The 28-year old Tebow was a Heissman trophy winner in 2007, as a testament to his promising career in football. He also won the NCAA Championship in 2006 and 2008 with University of Florida Gators.
Tebow was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft by Denver Broncos. He led the Broncos to the 2011 playoffs. In the 2012 season Broncos was traded him to New York Jets which he played for only one season.
During his short three seasons in the NFL, Tebow made 16 starts with 47.9 completion percentage, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Known for his rush gameplay rather than passing, he has rushed 12 touchdowns in his NFL career.
