Jaguars decide on the future of Blake Bortles
He may very well have been the most maligned quarterback in the NFL heading into last season.
After throwing five interceptions in a practice, his starting job was put up for grabs.
But Blake Bortles persevered, leading the Jaguars to the cusp of a Super Bowl appearance.
While many experts thought Jacksonville would still seek an upgrade (see: Cousins, Kirk), the team signed its quarterback to a three-year, $54 million extension Saturday, with $26.5 million guaranteed.
In case you missed it last night, @BBortles5 signed a contract extension that runs through the 2020 season.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) February 25, 2018
Head coach Doug Marrone explained the organization’s thinking.
“I have said it all along — I think Blake is one of the toughest people I have ever met, and I’m talking about his mental and physical toughness. He never lets the outside noise get him away from where his focus is, which is always on being a great teammate and being a great leader for our organization,” Marrone said, according to ESPN.
Bortles rebounded from an awful preseason to throw 21 touchdowns against a career-low 13 interceptions for the AFC South champions.
Despite the non-stop criticism, he wanted to stay with the only professional team he’s known.
“I told Ryan (Tollner), my agent, let’s just get it done so I can just go play football. I really would love to just know and have confirmation that this is where I’m going to be, and now let’s go work and continue to build on what we did last year and go play,” Bortles said. “So, happy and relieved. Obviously extremely excited. It’s a dream come true to be able to sign a second contract by the team that drafted me. That was one of my goals from the start so excited to get it all done and get rolling now.”
“I’ve been around Blake for the past three seasons, only one as the head coach,” said Marrone, “but I have seen him grow considerably in all facets: the way he prepares, the way he takes care of his body, the way he leads the team, the way he holds himself and his teammates accountable.”
With free agent quarterback money expected to flow like never before this offseason, ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out that this deal buys both sides a little time.
Jacksonville’s three-year, $54 million deal with Blake Bortles essentially serves as a bridge for both:
It allows Bortles time to shine and try to earn another lucrative extension – or for the team to have added time to find another QB.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 25, 2018
Andrew Brandt of Sports Illustrated’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” observed how essentially, the Jags got their man for an extra two years at the additional price of only $7.5 million in guaranteed money.
The Jaguars were scheduled to pay Blake Bortles $19M guaranteed for one year; are now paying him $26.5M guaranteed for three years (if they want him that long). Low risk move indeed.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) February 25, 2018
The Jaguars weren’t expected to advance far in the playoffs in 2018, especially after Bortles actually had more yards on the ground than through the air in their postseason opener against the Buffalo Bills.
But the Jaguars prevailed 10-3 in that contest, and Bortles was tremendous the next week in an upset at Pittsburgh. Though they were defeated in the AFC Championship Game by the Patriots, Bortles still performed very well against New England, with 293 passing yards and no interceptions.
All eyes will be on him now to see if he can take the next step.
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