The Jacksonville Jaguars finally made the decision to move forward with Blake Bortles as their quarterback after signing him to a three-year, $54 million extension. There had been plenty of speculation up to that point about whether or not they were confident enough to pursue a championship with Bortles under center.
However, recent history has proven just how important it is to have a contingency plan under center. The Jaguars have not ruled out the prospect of taking a quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk:
“I can’t speak for [Minnesota or Philadelphia’s] situation,” Marrone said. “I can only speak for ours. When you look to the draft, it is not like I know there is a lot of talk about this team and they are ready and they only need one or two or three pieces, whatever it may be, but that is not the way I am approaching this. I am approaching this as we have to better our football team. We have to do a better job, starting with me and the coaches. I think the draft process or free agency gives you the ability to go ahead and better your football team no matter what position it is. I don’t think anything is ever off limits when it comes down to trying to better your football team.”
Bortles had shown plenty improvement throughout the 2017 NFL season en route to an appearance in the AFC Championship Game. While he had plenty of help from the best rushing attack in the NFL, Bortles certainly managed to pull his own weight on offense. That said, the contract extension came as little surprise with Jacksonville undoubtedly in “win-now” mode.
It seems the Jaguars's brass is not completely sold on Bortles as their quarterback of the future, regardless of the AFC title game surprise. As a result, they could be looking for another in this year's draft to develop just in case Bortles does not work out.
Jacksonville currently owns the 29th overall pick in the draft which means its best quarterback prospects will be far out of reach. One name that has been suggested is Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. To say that Jackson has been undervalued as a signal-caller would be a massive understatement. That said, he could be there for the taking late in the first round.
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