John Elway: Only Peyton Manning could have replaced Tim Tebow in Denver

The Broncos traded Tim Tebow to the Jets in 2012 and we're still talking about it

Tim Tebow hasn't taken a regular-season snap since 2012 but, if nothing else, the man leaves an impression. If we're being polite, his quarterbacking style can be described as unconventional, though his critics would point out that he was inaccurate, couldn't read defenses and had to rely on his running ability. Either way, for the 2011 season it was enough to help the Broncos to the playoffs where they beat the Steelers in the wild-card round.

But Broncos general manager John Elway traded Tebow to the Jets that offseason, which paved the way for Peyton Manning, who went 45-12 in four seasons and led Denver to a Super Bowl title in February before announcing his retirement.

Now five years into the job, Elway tells the Denver Post that no one other than Manning could have succeeded Tebow.

"Because Tebow had such a fan base behind him -- there was probably only one guy that we could have replaced him with that people would understand," Elway said. "And that was Peyton Manning."

Tebow's fans remain, even though he hasn't thrown a meaningful NFL pass since December 17, 2012 (it was an incompletion). Of course, that doesn't preclude the inevitable "So, when are you returning to the NFL?" questions every time he speaks publicly. Last month, during an appearance with CBS Sports Radio's Doug Gottlieb, Tebow was asked about a possible return to football.

Gottlieb: If a team calls you right now and says "We need you in camp tomorrow" do you go?

Tebow: (laughing) I gotta look at it, I gotta figure out the situation. Not necessarily be opposed to it but you never know.

Tebow was an outstanding college player, but those talents never fully translated to the NFL. But at 28, he's still young -- and obviously very competitive -- prompting Gottlieb to ask, "Do you still have football in you?"

"I mean, for me, I'm in the best shape I've ever been in," Tebow said. "I'm still young, I still feel really good. So is that something that I feel like I can be an effective quarterback in the NFL? Yeah, I really do feel like I could be. But I think at the same time, there are a lot of other things that I'm doing that I love and that I'm blessed to do.

"Whether that's being part of college football, whether that's -- I just wrote another book -- whether that's what my foundation is doing in 16 countries," he continued. "I'm extremely busy doing a lot of things I love to do. Football is just one thing that I love to do. But it can't become your everything because eventually you're not going to be able to play, whether that's today or five years from now. And if it's your everything, when you're done what do you do?"

Put another way: Tebow doesn't need football, even though he clearly loves the game. It's also why he never entertained the idea of switching positions -- which was a popular topic throughout his NFL career.

"I think that's one that's really important is life is that we pursue our passions," Tebow told Larry King in June. "You pursue what's on your heart, you pursue what you're passionate about. And for me, the game of football is the position of quarterback. I've loved it since I was little boy, looking up to Danny Wuerffel when he was at the University of Florida.

'You don't do things necessarily because other people want you to. You do what's on your heart, what you're passionate about, and that's something that I've really always tried to do."