Patriots to sign Tebow

Tim Tebow may still have a future in the NFL after all.

The New England Patriots seem to think so and plan to sign him on Tuesday if he passes a physical.

He won't be a starting quarterback, of course, with Tom Brady on hand in Foxborough. But certainly he's an intriguing reclamation project - yet another chance for coach Bill Belichick to torture the New York Jets, who failed to find a role for Tebow last season.

And that could make for quite a Boston Tea-bow Party.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday that Tebow will join the Patriots' minicamp on Tuesday and sign with the team, pending the medical exam. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made. Even when Tebow signs, there is no guarantee he will play for the Patriots.

ESPN first reported that Tebow would sign with New England.

Former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist sees the logic in the move.

"If you can find a club that's mature enough to handle it as an organization, then you're going to find the right spot for him," Sundquist said. "What I mean by that is all the media mania and that sort of thing. The club says, "Look, this is the reason we're bringing him on. We feel he can bring X, Y, Z and A, B, C to the table.' Explain it to Tim, explain it to the media, explain it to your fan base and explain it to your organization."

That description seems to fit New England perfectly.

One of the NFL's most polarizing players, Tebow spent a lost season in 2012 with the New York Jets, playing sparingly behind struggling starter Mark Sanchez. Some fans thought he got a raw deal and deserved more of a chance; others thought he lacked the skills to be a pro quarterback. He was released in April with barely a shrug - hardly the ending most Jets fans envisioned considering his super-hyped welcome to the Big Apple.

Tebow won two national titles at Florida and was a first-round draft pick in 2010 by Denver. As a rookie, Tebow threw just 82 passes in nine games, starting three. But in 2011, he started 11 games, throwing for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, and took the Broncos to a wild-card win over Pittsburgh before an AFC divisional playoff loss to New England, 45-10.

Despite the Broncos' playoff run, he was traded to New York the following offseason when Denver signed Peyton Manning. Tebow threw only eight passes for the Jets, completing six, ran 32 times for 102 yards and was used mostly to protect the punter.

"Unfortunately," coach Rex Ryan said in a statement when Tebow was released, "things did not work out the way we all had hoped."

The Patriots have Ryan Mallett as the backup to Brady; they released QB Mike Kafka on Monday.

Asked if Tebow had signed, Patriots spokesman Stacey James said, "I do not anticipate any additional transactions to announce tonight."

Rear slap gets Johnson jailed

Former NFL star Chad Johnson was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail for a probation violation in a domestic violence case by a judge who angrily rejected a no-jail plea deal after Johnson playfully slapped his attorney on the backside in court.

Johnson, known as Chad Ochocinco for his jersey number in Spanish during his playing days, had reached a deal with prosecutors calling for community service and counseling instead of jail.

Broward County Circuit Judge Kathleen McHugh said she would tack on an additional three months' probation because Johnson had failed to meet with his probation officer during three previous months.

It was all set until Johnson, when asked by McHugh if he was satisfied with his lawyer Adam Swickle, gave the attorney a light swat on the rear - as football players routinely do to each other on the field. The courtroom erupted in laughter and at that McHugh said she wouldn't accept the deal.

"I don't know that you're taking this whole thing seriously. I just saw you slap your attorney on the backside. Is there something funny about this?" McHugh said, slapping the plea deal document down on her desk. "The whole courtroom was laughing. I'm not going to accept these plea negotiations. This isn't a joke."

Johnson, 35, tried to apologize and insisted he meant no disrespect. Johnson was on probation after pleading no contest to head-butting his then-wife, TV reality star Evelyn Lozada, during an altercation last August. She quickly filed for divorce after barely a month of marriage and Johnson, a six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, was immediately released by the Miami Dolphins. He didn't play at all last season.

"This is your courtroom. I have no intent to make this a joke. It's not funny," Johnson told the judge "My life is in a shambles right now and I try my best to laugh and keep a smile on my face."

But McHugh, who could have given Johnson up to a year in jail, was not moved.

"It's not the first time he's behaved that way in my courtroom," she said.

Johnson then was handcuffed and hauled away to jail. Swickle declined comment on whether he would ask the judge to reduce her sentence.

Bengals' Pacman arrested

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was arrested and jailed on one count of assault Monday.

Police alleged he "knowingly attempted to cause physical harm" to a woman in Cincinnati last week. A police complaint says Jones allegedly struck a 34-year-old Cincinnati woman shortly before midnight on June 5.

The police report listed the injury as apparently minor.

A message from The Associated Press was left for Jones' agent.

Court documents show Jones was released on his own recognizance with his arraignment on the misdemeanor charge scheduled for Tuesday.

Leach done with Baltimore

Fullback Vonta Leach says his time with the Baltimore Ravens is over.

Leach made the Pro Bowl in both his seasons with Baltimore and played a significant role in helping the Ravens win the Super Bowl in February.

But the Ravens and the 31-year-old could not work out an agreement on his salary this season, so Leach expects to be cut or traded in the days ahead.

He tweeted on Monday: "Thank (at)Ravens organization for a great two years. I came here and did what we set out to do and that's win the Super Bowl. My time here is up but what we accomplished, we will be forever linked. Thank the fans for accepting me and my family to Bmore."

If Leach leaves, the only fullback on the roster is fourth-round draft pick Kyle Juszczyk of Harvard.

Bills cut QB Jackson

The Buffalo Bills have released quarterback Tarvaris Jackson in a move that nudges rookie first-round draft pick EJ Manuel one step closer to winning the starting job.

The move was announced Monday, a day before Buffalo opens a three-day mandatory minicamp. The timing of the decision frees up additional practice time for Manuel.

That leaves Manuel competing with Kevin Kolb, a sixth-year player the Bills signed in free agency in April.

Jackson never received a shot in Buffalo after being acquired by the Bills in a trade with Seattle in August. The seventh-year player spent all of last season as Buffalo's third-string quarterback. Jackson then signed a one-year contract to return to Buffalo in February, believing he would have an opportunity to compete for a starting job.