Tim Tebow Opens Up about Finding His Identity in Christ after NFL Rejection: ‘One of the Hardest Things’
Tim Tebow has experienced his share of athletic success, winning a Heisman Trophy and a pair of college football national championships, but none of it prepared him for the disappointment —and questions about his identity — that came when his NFL career unraveled.
Throughout his years in the public eye, Tebow had been one of the nation’s most outspoken Christian athletes, urging others to find their identity in Christ rather than in their accomplishments or on-field performance.
But when Tebow faced rejection himself, released from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, that message hit home in ways he wasn’t expecting.
“It's been one of the hardest things I've had to work through,” Tebow told Crosswalk Headlines.
Tebow recalled “watching my worst moments replay over and over on news outlets.”
“I just kept thinking, is this really how I’m going to be remembered? What I was really fighting through was my own pride — not separating what happened on the field from who I actually was.”
Tebow’s lessons about identity — and the biblical foundation for them — are at the heart of his new devotional, "40 Days to Look Again" (Nelson Books), which releases Sept. 29 and offers a six-week study on shaping one’s identity through Christ. It is a companion to his 2025 New York Times bestseller, "Look Again: Recognize Your Worth. Renew Your Hope. Run with Confidence."
“It took time, and a season of serving people overseas right after, to realize that setback wasn't a setback,” Tebow said of his release from the NFL. “It was a setup. But I still have to choose that perspective — it's not automatic.”
Tebow said the message is especially relevant in an age of social media, where teens and adults alike can find themselves measuring their worth by the approval of others, sometimes one like at a time.
“I'm a people pleaser by nature. I want people to like me. I think a lot of us do,” Tebow said, asserting that social media “trains you to chase approval instead of building something real.”
“God's Word doesn't change based on who's watching or how many people approve.”
Tebow hopes the devotional challenges readers to reconsider the source of their identity and worth.
“I want people to look again at where they've been getting their worth from,” he told Crosswalk Headlines. “So many of us have quietly bought into the idea that we have to earn our value through success, what people think of us, and being liked. But God settled that a long time ago. We're not made valuable by what we accomplish. We're made valuable because He made us.”
Meanwhile, Tebow wants readers facing disappointment to see that God has a purpose for them.
“I want them to understand that what feels like a setback right now might actually be a setup for something they can't see yet,” he said. “I've had seasons where everything I'd worked for fell apart, and it felt like the end of the story. But looking back, some of those moments were exactly what put me in position for what mattered most. By Day 40, I don't just want them to know that on paper. I want them to actually believe it: that their worth was never tied to that dream working out, and God's not done writing their story just because this chapter looks different than they hoped.”
Photo Credit: ©ESPN
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published September 16, 2026.
