National Football League

Jets' Cromartie: 'We don't need Tebow'

Published Mar. 21, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The New York Jets announced Wednesday that they have acquired Tim Tebow from the Denver Broncos, but how the move is perceived in the fractured Jets locker room remains to be seen.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie took to Twitter Tuesday when reports began surfacing that the Jets had an interest in Tebow.

"We don't need Tebow," Cromartie wrote. "We sell out every home game. Let him go to Jacksonville, Tampa or Miami."

As reports intensified, so did Cromartie's belief the Jets did not need him.

"Y bring Tebow in when we need to bring in more Weapons for @Mark_Sanchez let's build the team around him. We already signed to 3 year [extension]," Cromartie wrote Wednesday before news of the Tebow trade broke.

A source told the New York Post earlier Wednesday that the move was not made to help fix the locker room chemistry, as originally perceived, and was solely a football decision.

The Jets reportedly beat out the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers, the two other teams interested in acquiring the Heisman Trophy winner.

The move — in which the Jets will reportedly send a fourth-round and a sixth-round pick in next month's NFL Draft to Denver in exchange for the quarterback and a seventh-round pick — comes a day after the Broncos signed Peyton Manning to a five-year deal, making Tebow expendable in Denver.

It also comes over a week after the Jets signed starting quarterback Mark Sanchez to a three-year contract extension and signed Drew Stanton to serve as his backup.

Tebow could give the Jets a new dimension at quarterback to complement Sanchez.

The unconventional quarterback could run the Wildcat formation, a favorite of head coach Rex Ryan and new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano.

A 2010 first-round draft pick, Tebow led the Broncos to the AFC playoffs last year, where they defeated Pittsburgh before losing to New England.

Tebow went 1-2 in starting the final three games of his rookie season and took over for Kyle Orton again last season after the Broncos started 1-4. The team went on to finish 8-8 and won the AFC West title.

Tebow, known more as a runner than a typical throwing quarterback, led six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, including an 80-yard touchdown pass against the Steelers on the first play of overtime in Denver's playoff victory.