While speaking to reporters on Monday, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles reflected on this year’s success and said “we have an opportunity to build on that and try to make it a consistent-year-in-year-out thing.”
Bortles isn’t exactly guaranteed to be back for the next year of Jaguars football, however. The team exercised an option on Bortles’ contract for the 2018 season that calls for a salary of around $19 million, but they can walk away from it before it becomes guaranteed in March.
As Bortles’ forward-looking view of the Jaguars’ fortunes suggests, he’s hoping they don’t walk away.
“I’ve enjoyed my four years in Jacksonville and I would love to play here for as long as they let me,” Bortles said, via the Florida Times-Union. “What they decide and all of the decisions they make are outside of my control. I would be thrilled to be able to stay here and play here. Hopefully that can happen.”
Sunday’s loss to the Patriots featured a fair summary of where things wound up with Bortles this season. He had a strong first half as the Jaguars took a 14-10 lead into the break, but the team didn’t show much confidence in his ability to keep it going at the end of the second quarter or in the second half as the Patriots pressed their way back into the lead.
Bortles could still return if the Jaguars rescind their option if the two sides find common ground at a lower price, but that would be further sign that the team isn’t convinced he’s the right guy for the job as they try to move at least one step further than they advanced this season.