Jacksonville Jaguars Free Agency 2017: 5 quarterbacks to consider
By Luke Sims
With Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles struggling to progress, the team may need a qualified veteran quarterback to replace Chad Henne should the need to replace Bortles arise.
2017 will be a prove it year for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles. He needs to show that he can be more like the 2015 sophomore that took the NFL by storm rather than the 2016 letdown that has fans of the team questioning whether he should even suit up next season.
While the Jags have longtime veteran backup Chad Henne on the roster for 2017, the team could well upgrade that backup position to be a more challenging quarterback that can push Bortles onto greater heights. Brandon Allen, a 2016 sixth round pick, is also quietly waiting in the wings but is an unproven entity at this point.
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All this is to say that even though Henne has done an admirable, professional job as an early mentor for Bortles, he may not be the right guy to step in and replace him if need be. He also may not be the right guy to spur Bortles on and inject some competition that Bortles hasn’t known since arriving in Jacksonville.
And to do that, the Jags must look at the 2017 free agent market. There are plenty of quarterbacks who are aiming to get big-time payouts for their services and there are quarterbacks who have some significant experience but have the lower aim of simply catching on with a roster. The Jags aren’t going to be targeting a player like Kirk Cousins who is almost cemented as a franchise quarterback. Look for a lesser name to be a more likely target.
We’ll examine five of these options for the Jaguars.