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Blake Bortles officially on deadline to become Jaguars' franchise QB

 
Published May 3, 2017

Blake Bortles is on the clock.

He has one more year to get it right, to straighten out the yips and the bad footwork and the inexcusable Pick-6 interceptions.

The Jaguars finally decided to exercise the fifth-year option on Bortles, making the announcement Monday morning. It was a close call. Only 48 hours remained before the Jags had to decide on a guy who was presumed to be their franchise quarterback.

Now, nobody is sure.

Bortles has regressed from 2015 to 2016, throwing 12 fewer touchdowns (35 to 23) and only two fewer picks (18 to 16).

But here's the deal: The Jaguars are only on the hook for Bortles' salary of $6.5 million this year. They will have to pay him big money in 2018 if they want to keep him. The number starts at $19.05 million and escalates yearly.

Or they can say "thanks for the memories" and walk away.

"This is a smart business decision for the team for several reasons," said Tom Coughlin, in his first season as the Jaguars' executive vice president of football operations. "It makes sense for us going forward, and it's good for Blake and for the Jaguars."

He is right. Nobody gets stuck in a loveless marriage. If Bortles wants to make things work in Jacksonville, he will have to fix his atrocious footwork, passing accuracy and his turnover ratio.

Much like a golfer who gets the yips, he has regressed, and has gone to various QB coaches to try to fix his problems.

The Jaguars selected Bortles with the third overall pick in the 2014 draft out of Central Florida. It seemed like the perfect fit.

Now, it's all iffy.

But the Jaguars are willing to show Bortles the money if he shows them he is a franchise quarterback.

As noted, Blake Bortles is on the clock.