Jacksonville Jaguars: Doug Marrone explains Blake Bortles extension
The Jacksonville Jaguars have surprisingly extended Blake Bortles. Head coach Doug Marrone explained the rationale behind the extension.
Few players have faced more scrutiny over the past four seasons than Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles. The No. 3 overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, Bortles has failed to live up to many of the standards that outsiders have set for him.
Despite the criticism that Bortles has consistently encountered, the Jaguars have made the decision to invest in him as a franchise quarterback.
Bortles, 25, is a 6’5″ and 236-pound quarterback with the athleticism to make plays outside of the pocket. That’s appealing on the surface, but inaccuracy, interceptions, and general inconsistency have made Bortles a polarizing figure.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Jaguars were willing to look past those issues and hand Bortles a three-year deal worth up to $66.5 million.
Jaguars are giving QB Blake Bortles a new three-year, $54 million deal, worth up to $66.5M with incentives, that includes $26.5M guaranteed, tying him to Jacksonville through the 2020 season, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 25, 2018
Jacksonville out of QB market.
It was a surprising decision, but Josina Anderson of ESPN reports that head coach Doug Marrone offered a justification for the decision.
Doug Marrone on Bortles: “...I think Blake is one of the toughest people I’ve ever met & I’m talking about his mental & 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...”
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 25, 2018
If Bortles truly is the teammate and leader that Marrone claims he is, then the Jaguars could be able to justify the decision to re-sign him.
Bortles is coming off of a season during which he threw for 3,687 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions on a 60.2 completion percentage. He also ran for 322 yards and a pair of touchdowns, thus marking his fourth consecutive season with at least 300 rushing yards.
More important than what transpired in the regular season, however, is the fact that Bortles helped the Jaguars reach the AFC Championship Game.
Say what you will about his role in that success, but reaching the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 1999 can work wonders for a player’s career.
Bortles threw for 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2015, which implied that he was on the path to success. His peers voted him as the No. 56 overall player in the NFL, which further displayed the progress he’d made.
If the Jaguars are going to justify the three-year deal it handed Bortles, however, he’ll likely need to return to that level of play.
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The question is: Can Blake Bortles prove that the Jacksonville Jaguars made the right decision to extend him for up to $66.5 million?