Broncos announce Tim Tebow’s return to Empower for ’26 home opener

The NFL team who benefited from Tim Tebow’s most-iconic pro moment and the NFL team the star last played for square off on Sunday in Denver — and the former Florida Gator will be there.

Tebow returns to Empower Field at Mile High for the first time since his walk-off touchdown throw to Demaryius Thomas in overtime of the 2011 playoffs.

The Broncos announced Thursday that Tebow will serve as the team’s honorary flag-planter ahead of Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2:05 p.m. MT, CBS), Denver’s home opener following a 31-10 loss at Kansas City on Monday night.

Tebow spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons in Denver after being selected by the Broncos in first round following his amazing college career, where he won two national championships and a Heisman. He was traded to the New York Jets as the Broncos turned the keys over to Peyton Manning. Tebow’s final NFL chapter came in Jacksonville, where the Jaguars gave the former first-round pick a shot at tight end during 2021 training camp.

The one — 80 yards of overtime electricity on Jan. 8, 2012 — is among the moments that cement his place in Broncos lore. On the first snap of the extra period, Tebow hit Thomas on a slant that the late Pro Bowl receiver took the distance, stunning the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card round.

“I don’t know that I’ve been in one where it felt like everyone was together as much as that night,” Tebow said in the Broncos’ recently released “Jersey Swap” video with quarterback Bo Nix. “It was unreal. People stayed for an hour after the game. Players stayed forever. So many of us did — hugging, talking, praying, high-fiving, seeing fans.”

That win was his biggest as a starter in Denver, but all of them felt like a rollercoaster, some featuring improbable comebacks led by the dual-threat quarterback.

Years later, Nix has called Tebow his “childhood hero. The current Broncos quarterback drew a line from that January night in 2012 to his own overtime playoff win over the Bills last season — making him the first drafted Broncos quarterback since Tebow to win a postseason game for Denver.

They plan to make their own jersey swap official on Sunday.

“Thank you for giving me someone to look up to,” Nix wrote for Tebow in the video. “Thank you for being a friend now.”

Denver (0-1) hosts Jacksonville (0-1) at 2:05 p.m. MT on CBS.

Returning to @EmpowerField for the first time since creating playoff #MileHighMagic ✨ …@TimTebow will be our Alumni Flag planter for #JAXvsDEN! pic.twitter.com/nFQhjkYdvl

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 17, 2026

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