Jets dump Tim Tebow in a move that surprises few

Tim Tebow’s short tenure as a Jet has come to an unceremonious end, as the team released the backup QB and media sensation after a year in which he rarely played.

“We have a great deal of respect for Tim Tebow,” head coach Rex Ryan said in a statement Monday. “Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we all had hoped. Tim is an extremely hard worker, evident by the shape he came back in this offseason. We wish him the best moving forward.”

Tebow, 25, was informed that he was released Monday morning, when new general manager John Idzik and Ryan dropped the news as Tebow arrived at the Jets’ practice facility for the team’s workout. The former Heisman Trophy winner reportedly stayed behind to finish working out.

Tebow was hailed as a sort-of savior for the team when it was first announced he would join in spring 2012, but his ouster was all but a foregone conclusion. Experts said it was about time.

“Relief,” Jets blogger Joe Caporoso of TurnOnTheJets.com said when asked of his initial reaction to the news of Tebow’s release.

“Releasing Tebow was an important step in removing the circus atmosphere fostered last season,” he said. “It was a logical decision from a football perspective after drafting Geno Smith.”

Still, some fans said that although dropping Tebow was probably the right move, the team never really gave him a legitimate chance to succeed.

“They barely used him, but I’m sure they profited off ticket sales due to having him,” said Keith Nelson Jr., 25, of the Bronx.

“Honestly, they should not have signed him in the first place when they had Mark Sanchez there,” he said, adding it was “disgraceful” how the Jets “used him as a promotional puppet.”

Crystal Hoffman, 27, who works in midtown, agreed, saying the failure of the Tebow experiment was inevitable after the team refused to play him the way it had planned.

She added: “I’m not saying that Tebow is the greatest quarterback, but how could the team possibly know what he was capable of when they never gave him an opportunity to prove himself?”

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Tebow’s Big Apple Tenure
Tim Tebow's time in New York was short-lived and mostly uneventful. Here are the highlights (well, mostly lowlights) of his career as Jet:

Tebow’s unveiling: The circus around Tebow’s arrival reached peak madness when the team trotted him out for his introductory news conference in March last year, drawing more than 200 members of the media, unprecedented for a backup QB.

Week 6: Tebow racked up only 39 passing yards during his one season with the Jets, and 23 of came in a single play against Indianapolis. On a fake punt, Tebow tossed up a pass to Nick Bellore, marking the biggest play of his Jets tenure.

Shirtless run: Tebow made his mark on last year’s training camp when he galloped through a mist of rain shirtless, prompting ribbing from his teammates and howls from fans. “Maybe it was holy water,” linebacker Bart Scott joked to reporters afterward.

Locker room drama: Frustrated by a lack of real playing time, Tebow in December allegedly confronted coach Rex Ryan, saying he didn’t want to play in the Wildcat formation anymore and wanted to be used like a regular quarterback.