Jacksonville Jaguars: Is Blake Bortles their 2018 quarterback?

Its becoming cliche, but the Jacksonville Jaguars have a major quarterback decision to make. Is Blake Bortles their signal caller in 2018? Do they move on, or stick with the man the know well?

No matter how poor or successful a team’s season was, there are always major offseason questions on the front burner. The NFL turns over too much for even the best teams to advance a calendar year unscathed. Let’s continue the team-by-team overview with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It is occasionally annoying to continually harp on the quarterback position, but so much of the sport stems off of who a team has at that spot. For Jacksonville, the entirety of 2018 will be determined by what it does with Blake Bortles.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the Jacksonville Jaguars in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

In 2017, Bortles was decidedly below average while the Jaguars burst onto the scene and carried him to the AFC Championship. Bortles finished the year ranked outside the top 16 quarterbacks in completion percentage, yards per attempt, rating, QBR, and pretty much anything else. His best skill was avoiding sacks, but credit there must primarily go to his offensive line.

Thanks to a massive running game and nearly peerless defense, that quarterback was enough to reach the final four in a year where star players all around the league were decimated by injury. Will it be enough again in 2018?

The kicker for the Bortles decision for Jacksonville is the player’s contract. Bortles is owed a rather large $19 million next season, and exactly zero dollars of that is guaranteed. None of the $19 million is dead money. The Jaguars can cut Bortles at any point this offseason and owe him nothing. They can make a clean break from an overpaid and under-producing player at the most important position on the field.

And yet, they have to replace him. What is better, the devil you know or the one you don’t? The team knows his abilities and shortcomings. He knows the offense and that huddle. The defense knows what it has with him. I realize these aren’t great resume-builders for Bortles, but experience in the system means something.

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What’s more, the options for Bortles replacements are limited. Kirk Cousins is going to cost a lot more than the $19 million owed to Bortles. With the 29th pick, the Jags won’t have the option to draft one of the premiere quarterback prospects either. The franchise also needs money to bring back FA wide receiver Allen Robinson. Robinson’s return alone should allow Bortles to take a step up next season. When healthy, he was one of the best receivers in the sport.

It’s rare that I would argue in favor of bringing back a player in Bortles’ position. But walking through the alternatives, would you rather to continue to build with him or blow even more money on someone new to the offense who may be worse? What if Case Keenum comes in and resorts back to his Rams days? Then he’s not even better than Bortles. The team would have burned through one bridge to see the second one collapse.

Dan Salem:

I’ll add one more wrinkle to the quarterback quilt woven in Jacksonville. Bortles may be battling a wrist injury and its severity is unknown. If he is in fact injured, the Jaguars are not allowed to cut him. The team best move on before any type of diagnosis is levied. Josh McCown won’t cost $19 million and he played infinitely better than Bortles last season for a worse team, all be it one that beat the Jaguars. That’s just one example of another solid option in free agency.

I like Blake Bortles the team leader. He’s been with the Jacksonville Jaguars during their rise, starting at the bottom and having a great season last year as a team. He’s also an infinitely frustrating player to employ and root for. I understand the logic behind sticking with the devil you know. Bortles always does just enough to make you smile, yet never enough to make you happy. He’s rarely the reason you lose at this point in his career, but rarely the reason you win either. As you noted, he’s great at staying out of the way and out of his team’s way. The bottom line is simple. Bortles will not push Jacksonville over the top.

The Jaguars were extremely close to reaching the Super Bowl, so it could be argued that a better quarterback would have secured that extra touchdown or made that one play to get the victory against New England. With so many solid options in free agency, I would roll the dice and move on from Bortles and his $19 million salary. Sam Bradford won’t cost that much. Neither will Teddy Bridgewater, McCown, or Tyrod Taylor to name a few. All have more upside than Bortles and can cost less money.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Full two-round projection

I’m not proposing that Jacksonville spend more money on quarterback than is currently owed to Bortles. I’m encouraging them to sign a similar player with more upside on a team friendly contract. It could be the difference between a championship or another lost season.