By CNN Staff
(CNN) — The New England Patriots will open the door to the media at 10:15 Tuesday morning. That line likely will be a lot longer than usual.
With multiple media reports saying Tim Tebow is set to sign with the team, there will be many reporters angling for their first look at the polarizing backup quarterback in a new jersey.
NFL.com, ESPN and other media outfits cited league sources in saying the 25-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner had come to terms with the Patriots on Monday. ESPN reported Tebow is expected to join the Patriots for a mandatory three-day training camp in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The Patriots declined to comment on the rumor, saying head coach Bill Belichick would have a 10:45 a.m. news conference.
“I am sure it will be addressed then,” team spokesman Stacey James wrote in an e-mail.
In three NFL seasons, Tebow, who was waived by the New York Jets in April, has played 35 games and completed 48% of his passes. He has been praised and panned for being outspoken about his Christian faith, including taking a prayerful position at games that has led to a Internet photo craze known as “Tebowing.”
Critics have said he doesn’t throw well enough to be an NFL quarterback.
If he does sign with the Patriots, he will be reunited with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who was the head coach of the Denver Broncos when they drafted Tebow in the first round in 2010. He will also get an opportunity to learn from starting quarterback Tom Brady, who in 14 years has won three Super Bowls and been the NFL’s most valuable player twice.
Tebow played for the New York Jets in 2012, rarely taking snaps but sometimes playing other positions in specialty formations on offense. He also played on the punting unit.
The Patriots released Mike Kafka, a backup quarterback, on Monday.
NFL players often have to pass a physical before they sign with a team.