JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s going to be a busy month for the Jaguars.
The NFL releases its schedule on Wednesday night and that will reveal whether the Jaguars will be a part of any primetime games this year. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Jacksonville would play one of its home games in London in 2021, so international games are back on the menu.
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• Rookie minicamp begins Friday.
• A certain veteran football player making a career and position change is poised to sign with the Jaguars at tight end.
• And the Jaguars have the first of three organized team activities May 24, 26-27.
On the schedule
We know who the 17 teams are in 2021.
Home games come against division opponents Houston, Indianapolis and Tennessee, the Bills, Dolphins, Cardinals, 49ers, Broncos and Falcons.
Away games are at division opponents Houston, Indianapolis and Tennessee, plus New England, the Jets, the Rams, Seahawks and the Bengals.
On Wednesday night, we’ll find out the order of those opponents and if Jacksonville will end its prime primetime absence.
The Jaguars haven’t played a primetime game on Sunday since 2005 and haven’t played on Monday night since 2011. Jacksonville played on Thursday night in 2020 against the Dolphins, but the Sunday and Monday night games are a more visible window.
The rookies arrive
The Jaguars open rookie minicamp on Friday, which means it marks the first look at first-rounders Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. Don’t expect to see much from those players. Lawrence is still rehabbing his left shoulder after surgery.
Minicamp is essentially getting everyone together for the first time, coaches evaluating things and starting the onboarding process for players.
It overlaps between Phase 1 and 2 of the NFL’s offseason program and it’s a segue into rookies getting their first taste of their new squads and life in the NFL. Then it’s on to the third phase, which runs from May 24-June 18.
No live contact is permitted during Phase 3 of the offseason program. Teams may hold 10 days of OTAs and include work like 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Much of the offseason work is voluntary. A better look at the whole squad comes June 15-17 with mandatory minicamp.
What about Tebow?
No, Tim Tebow will not be at minicamp this weekend because he still hasn’t been signed by the Jaguars, and, he’s not a rookie. Tebow was a rookie in 2010 and spent three years in the NFL on the regular season rosters of the Broncos and Jets.
But one of the most popular athletes to ever call Jacksonville home is attempting a comeback that seems, on its surface, unrealistic. Tebow has been working as an ESPN college football analyst and spent four seasons playing minor league baseball in the Mets farm system. He has been a quarterback from his sophomore season at Nease through college and the NFL.
Tebow worked out for the Jaguars last February as a tight end, a position that he hasn’t played in college or the NFL, and only played briefly during his freshman season at Trinity Christian Academy. Tebow also played on defense there, too. But coach Urban Meyer believes Tebow can help the team win, according to Tony Khan, and he’s very soon likely to be on Jacksonville’s roster to try and prove it.