The Jacksonville Jaguars made a big decision when they committed to Blake Bortles as their starting quarterback by signing him to a three-year, $54 million extension earlier this offseason. But with that big new contract come bigger expectations for Bortles, particularly from his head coach, Doug Marrone.
In an appearance on Good Morning Football on Tuesday, Marrone says the organization expects another significant step up in Bortles’ play during the upcoming season.
“By being rewarded a contract — like I always tell the players — you get rewarded with that contract, obviously, we expect something in return and we expect you to make a big jump again this year,” Marrone said per Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
Bortles didn't have a phenomenal year statistically as he finished with 3,687 yards and 21 touchdowns, which were lower than his totals during the past two seasons. Although, he did complete 60 percent of his passes for the first time in his career and also had just 13 turnovers, in part due to his role in the offense slightly reduced in favor of Leonard Fournette and the running game.
All in all, Bortles did what was asked of him, as he orchestrated a huge win playoff over the Pittsburgh Steelers and led the Jags all the way to the AFC Championship Game.
After all the success they had with the run-first system last year, it’s unlikely that the Jaguars go back to letting Bortles throw the ball as frequently as he did in the past. But they likely expect Bortles to perform more effectively within their system now that he’s had an entire season to fully familiarize himself with it.
If Bortles does take another “big jump” in his game as Marrone expects, the Jaguars should once again be a team to watch out for in the AFC.
Follow Us
Subscribe