Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles’ future in Jacksonville was the subject of much discussion this offseason with the team appearing lukewarm at points about making any commitment to Bortles beyond this season.
They ultimately went in a different direction by picking up their option on his contract for the 2018 season. Jaguars executive vice president Tom Coughlin was asked about that decision during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show and pointed to the mechanical work Bortles did this offseason as part of the reason why the Jags went that route.
“Two years ago, he had an outstanding year, had a lot of yards, over 4,000 yards. I won’t say outstanding because the team didn’t do outstanding, but he certainly was much more productive.” Coughlin said. “This past year, a lack of production, if you will, turnovers, too many. He’s a talented young man. Had some flaws in his throwing motion that he did a nice job of working on in the offseason and pretty much correcting. So, we’ve seen some good things there.”
That wasn’t the only reason Coughlin cited as he also noted that the option, which is guaranteed only if Bortles can’t pass a physical at the start of the next league year, gives the team flexibility to use the franchise tag on another player. That would likely be wide receiver Allen Robinson and the Jaguars would surely like to exit the 2017 season feeling like the Bortles-Robinson connection is a centerpiece of an offense that can put the team in contention in the coming years.
A lot has to happen to get to that point, but things appear to be pointing in a better direction for Bortles as the offseason comes to a close.