The satire never died, even years later. The NFL’s most famously devout quarterback, trying to save his football soul, signed on with its coldest football mind. In 2013, Tim Tebow joined the New England Patriots. The man who prayed through press conferences and preached integrity to locker rooms tried to make a final stand under Bill Belichick’s hoodie.

The contradictions weren’t subtle. Tebow preached honesty. Head coach Belichick was fined half a million dollars for covertly filming opposing coaches. Tebow was the league’s most affectionate teammate, a walking sermon of loyalty and light. Desperate to impress the Pats’ HC and be part of Belichick’s 53-man roster, the Heisman-winning southpaw even let a $1 million offer for a single-day shoot go just like that. Belichick still cut the former Bronco’s starter.

In his book “Shaken,” Tebow writes about how Belichick wanted to make him “one of the guys” on his Patriots team. “When I came on the team, Coach and I had a long and deep talk. “I want to make you one of the guys,” he told me… Timmy. We’re in this together,” Tebow wrote. But when the preseason came, Tebow failed to justify Belichick’s trust. The ex-Bronco’s QB completed just 11 of 30 passes for 145 yards with two TDS and two INTs in three games.

So unsurprisingly, it didn’t last. The throws were off, the fit was worse, and after just a few preseason games, the Patriots moved on. But before they did, came one last test of faith.

One day, a commercial offer dropped into Tebow’s lap: a few hours of filming, one million dollars. He didn’t accept. First, he called Belichick. The tone had been set from day one. “I just want you to do your best at going under the radar,” Belichick told him in their first conversation. Tebow’s reply: “Yes, sir. I totally get what you’re saying. I’ll do it.” He meant it. Just quiet obedience in service of the Patriot Way — even if the Patriot Way had no long-term plans for him.

Tebow’s agent contacted him when he was trying to impress the staff and grinding through Patriots workouts. A company invited him to give a few hours to a commercial project. The proposal? $1 million. His agent informed him, “They want to pay you a million dollars.” Tebow was taken aback. “Why? What’s wrong with them?” He joked. Despite being tempted and keeping his word, he called Belichick and explained the situation.

Belichick didn’t hesitate. “Timmy, thank you so much for calling for sharing. I really do. I appreciate you give me a call,” he said. “And I would appreciate if you turned it down.” Tebow joked that he almost said, “would appreciate if you change your mind.” But instead he said, “Yes, sir.” He called his agent back and said, “I’m sorry, but you’ve got to tell him we’re going to turn it down.”

Years later, he explains why. Tebow said, “Because man, if they gave me 1% of 1% chance to live out something that I’m so passionate about, it would be worth it to me. So, yes, for a game to make a team. I would be willing to suffer things.” That meant leaving $1 million on the table. Not for an entry-level position. Not for a spot on the roster. Just the opportunity to don a Patriots jersey. He believed in Belichick’s vision and kept his word. But he was unaware that the clock was already running out of time.

Three weeks later, Bill Belichick pulled the plug

There was no drawn-out explanation for cutting him off. Just a brief discussion with Belichick, and he was told bluntly that he wasn’t a good match for the team. Tebow pondered whether honoring his promise had truly damaged him as he sat in that conference room, recalling the ad contract he had turned down. He thought, “Was it the wrong choice? If I had said yes, would that have put me in a better situation than I am right now?”

His tenure with the Patriots did not end with that cut. It marked the final snap Tebow would take in the NFL. He never played in a regular season again after making a brief preseason debut with the Eagles in 2015 and another training camp stint as a tight end with the Jaguars in 2021. Tebow, though, doesn’t regret the decision. Speaking years later, he said, “That’s not something I look back and regret at all. It was me trying to honor the team, and if I could do it again, I would’ve done the same thing.”

In the end, Tebow walked away from football, pivoted to baseball with the Mets’ farm system, and eventually to broadcasting and philanthropy. But that Patriots moment remains one of the wildest footnotes of his career—a story of sacrifice, belief, and a brutal reminder of the NFL’s cold bottom line.