The Jacksonville Jaguars are coming off a highly successful campaign reaching the AFC Championship game in nearly two decades that has elevated the level of expectations around the franchise.

According to Mike Kaye of First Coast News, quarterback Blake Bortles has voiced that this has pushed the franchise in an entirely new direction over the last few years with the lows not feeling like they previously were.

“I think the positive is that the lows aren’t near as low as they were,” Bortles said Wednesday following practice. “They are still up and down, which is going to be when you play our defense every day. I think the floor has risen – the lows aren’t as bad. It is one, two, three bad plays, compared to where there were times last year where I would go for a whole day of having a bad practice and not really feel good about it. I think as long as you continue to make those lows not quite as bad as they had been in the past, I think we will have a chance.”

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This is certainly the case with Bortles with the team giving him a three-year, $54 million extension that will keep him in place with the franchise through the 2020 season. It also sends a clear signal that the franchise believes he can lead them to success with a few more trips to the playoffs and possibly much further than that.

Although Bortles has faced much criticism for his play this past season, he has shown that he can effectively play under center while being able to move the team down the field with his arm. Jacksonville has built around him a formidable team with Pro Bowl running back Leonard Fournette as the anchor of the offensive game plan and arguably the best defense in the league on the other side of the ball.

All of this has positioned the Jaguars to once again be in the playoff picture in 2018 with Bortles playing a significant factor in the puzzle.