The Jaguars quarterback situation could affect free agency

With NFL free agency two weeks away, the Jacksonville Jaguars may face some issues signing players if they have not solved their quarterback problem.

It’s the one thing I continue to read amongst Jacksonville Jaguars fans when it comes to signing free agents this offseason. How can this team expect to bring in help, namely playmakers at wide receiver or tight end, if the problems at quarterback are not resolved?

It’s the elephant in the room that must be addressed, the one topic everyone has an opinion about, but nobody knows other than the team’s front office, what steps will be taken to correct the situation.

We as fans and media can write about Nick Foles and Teddy Bridgewater and how they “fit” what the Jaguars are trying to do on offense.

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We can pine away for Dwayne Haskins or hope the team adds offensive line help in the first round of the draft and then select Will Greer in Round 2. There is a method to this madness, one that we aren’t privy to that will be revealed in time.

That time, however, is only two short weeks away and in pocket of space a decision will be made if Blake Bortles remains with the team for 2019, is released before March 13 or is a post June 1 release. Money is heavily involved in these decisions. The Jaguars will do what is fiscally best for the team above everything else.

I know my friend Chris McClelland will tell you Bortles isn’t going anywhere because leaving $16.5 million on the table is not a business decision team owner Shad Khan would make. Others, and there are numerous, will tell you riding the team of Bortles is like riping the band aid off an injury that has taken forever to heel.

But most of all, and this is the biggest thing facing a Jaguars team that is still working to free up cap space, how does this issue effect signing wide receivers, tight ends and offensive linemen?

I have often said on Jaguars chat pages that free agents don’t just sign with Jacksonville. Fans, mainly friends, say the team should sign this player or that player. It’s not that simple. Players have to want to come to Jacksonville. They want to be wanted. They want to be paid. They want to be desired. Winning helps make a difference. Knowing there are changes to be made also aids in decisions.

But for now, the quarterback position may be handcuffing the team’s progression in signing players to help the offense re-energize. Calais Campbell said he would be more than happy to become the team’s recruiter and encourage players to sign in North Florida.

Jalen Ramsey has on more than one occasion used his Twitter account to entice NFL stars to join him here.

With a definite decision on who plays quarterback next season in Black and Teal, those messages may take a little longer to resonate.

I suspect there is already a plan in place. The front office has been on top of this even before the end of the NFL playoffs. The 2019 season really started the day after the team’s 20-3 loss to the Houston Texans. If the rumors are true and a player like Foles has interest in Jacksonville, then it’s an option. It’s not a given.

Next. The Jaguars should get Randall Cobb in free agency. dark

Once the Jaguars decide who is their quarterback in 2019, everything will fall into place. Now, it’s speculation. It’s fun and sometimes exasperating playing a waiting game. But until rumors are proven, we are all waiting. That includes players as well.

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