Is quarterback Sam Bradford an option for the Jaguars?

Now that the Arizona Cardinals have parted ways with backup veteran quarterback Sam Bradford, would the Jacksonville Jaguars show interest in signing him to a contract?

Is Sam Bradford a better option for the Jacksonville Jaguars than the current quarterbacks on their roster? Now that the veteran signal caller has been released by the Arizona Cardinals, would the team sign the former Heisman Trophy winner to a deal and help the team move forward?

There have been plenty of questions the past year and a half whether management would make a change under center. After a strong finish to the 2017 season and improved play from Blake Bortles, the Jaguars doubled-down and signed him this offseason to a three-year, $54-million contract extension. The organization is on the hook for $26.5 million of that contract.

Essentially it means Bortles is part of the team’s roster for the remainder of this season and more than likely, could be here next year as well. When there have been opportunities to bring in a veteran or draft a quarterback in the early rounds, the team has balked.

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"“The Jacksonville Jaguars were tricked in 2017 into thinking Blake Bortles had potentially turned some kind of corner,” Sayre Bedinger of NFL Mocks wrote. “Bortles did show some of his top five draft potential throughout the 2017 season, one of the best in recent memory for the Jags, but all bets are off now with a team that has serious division title aspirations heading into the second half of the season with a 3-5 record.”"

The Jaguars did sign Cody Kessler this offseason to replace backup Chad Henne and drafted Tanner Lee in the sixth round of this year’s draft. Jacksonville added Landry Jones this week as “insurance” for a Bortles’ injury that should not keep him out of the game next Sunday at Indianapolis.

Jacksonville has been linked to both Teddy Bridgewater (who was in the same draft class as Bortles) when he was with the New York Jets and now in New Orleans, and Ryan Fitzpatrick according to pewterreport.com, who has been a part-time starter in Tampa Bay.

Bortles looked solid in games against the New England Patriots and New York Jets when he was given the keys to the offense and had to lead the team because of a lack of running attack. The team has suffered numerous injuries on offense, which has aided in his regression this season. The body of work in eight games looks more like the quarterback of old, the one who looks like a Pro Bowl in one instant and a player trying to figure it out in another.

"“Bortles is holding the Jaguars back, completing 60 percent of his passes (58.5 percent or less each of the last four weeks) for 2,021 yards and 10 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He’s taken 18 sacks so far this season and six fumbles,” Bedinger added. “If the Jaguars aren’t sold on Kessler or Bortles, perhaps Bradford could be viewed as an option over the course of the remainder of the season.”"

After winning a Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma, the second sophomore to accomplish the feat in 2009, he was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and set the record for most completions by a rookie in NFL history. His production, like Bortles, has been a mixed bag. But his skill set appears to be better than what the Jaguars have on their current roster.

His touchdown to interception ratio 103/61 is something to look at. Bradford played in three games his season for the Cardinals.

Bedinger believes the Jaguars aren’t the only team that should take a look at Bradford. He wrote Buffalo and Denver could be two franchises interested in kicking the tires on signing him for the remainder of the year. Bradford might be one of those players the Jaguars look at and takes a chance.