Jacksonville Jaguars sign Blake Bortles to three-year, $54 million contract extension
By Billy Long
The long-awaited question on how the Jacksonville Jaguars would handle the Blake Bortles situation has been answered.
The biggest pending story-line of the offseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars has been resolved on Saturday night. The team is signing quarterback Blake Bortles to a contract extension for three years, covering the fifth year option season and two additional years.
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.
The contract is for $54 million, with the potential for more with incentives, but the main number to always look at is the guaranteed money, which is $26.5 million. The move seals the deal that Bortles will be the starter for the Jaguars next season, and ends any chance of the team being big players at the position in free agency.
A day after faith was placed in the front office and head coach with contract extensions, Jacksonville is also placing belief in Bortles after a trip to the AFC championship game last year.
Even with the extension though, it shouldn’t change the Jaguars plans. The deal still doesn’t put the Jaguars in a position to fully have to back Bortles long term and it’s just $7 million more of guaranteed money than if he had just played out his fifth year option this season. This move could also mean putting the franchise tag on Allen Robinson or rewarding the receiver outright with a new contract, to retain the receiver in Jacksonville, which is a pivotal move for the team this free agency.
Jacksonville should definitely, and most likely will still make a play in the early rounds of the draft in April for a quarterback, to groom and polish if/when Bortles’ tenue with the team ends in the coming seasons.