New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has revealed that he wanted quarterback Tim Tebow on his side's roster.

Tebow was cut by the Patriots as part of their roster cut-down, as Tom Brady and his backup Ryan Mallett were both ahead of him in the pecking order.

"I love Tim Tebow and I very much wanted him on the team," Kraft told CBS.

"If you look at four of the last five years, we've only carried two quarterbacks. And when cut down time comes, you need those last three or four positions for depth.

"We happen to have, I think, the finest quarterback in the history of the game, and he's not going off the field except by injury. We have a great second-string quarterback."

Tebow was not picked up on waivers by any of the other 31 teams in the NFL and is currently a free agent.