PALM BEACH, Fla. — John Elway isn’t the only one contradicting Tim Tebow’s version of how his trade to the Jets went down.
New Jaguars owner Shad Khan told The Post yesterday the Broncos explicitly informed him last week that Tebow spurned a Jacksonville homecoming despite the Jaguars offering more money and a better draft pick to Denver than the Jets did.
“Quite frankly, I didn’t know until the Broncos called me back [Wednesday] night that Tim Tebow preferred the Jets,” Khan said during a break in the NFL’s annual meetings, echoing the statements last week by Elway, the Denver VP.
Apparently not wanting to upset his fans in Jacksonville, Tebow told New York writers in a conference call last Thursday night he had no say in the trade and the Broncos “had all the power.”
Tebow backtracked on that during his press conference yesterday, admitting he had input and saying he told Denver he preferred the Jets because he “had a better relationship with the Jets’ coaches.”
Khan said he was “surprised” by Tebow’s decision, but said it was best for everyone involved because the Jaguars didn’t want a player who didn’t want them.
“Frankly, I thought he would be picking Jacksonville because of the chance to play in his hometown,” Khan said. “But this is a free country, and he has the right. I would be disappointed if he was in [Jacksonville] but didn’t want to be here.”