In 2014, quarterback Blake Bortles was a highly-touted prospect fresh from a three-year run with the UCF Knights. He was eventually selected as the third overall pick in that year's NFL draft. After a one-year stay with the Los Angeles Rams, Bortles suddenly found himself in the middle of the desert without a team to play for.
Rams head coach Sean McVay chimed in on the current situation of his former back-up gunslinger:
“I am surprised, just because he’s played a lot of good football in this league,” McVay told reporters on Friday. “You hope for the best. I have not had much dialogue with anybody else about him, but I am surprised that he is not on a team right now.”
Before playing under McVay, Bortles was the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars for five seasons. He has set team records for passing yards and touchdowns in a single season in 2015 and also led the Jaguars to a rare AFC Conference Championship game appearance, where they eventually lost to the New England Patriots.
Despite the success, Bortles became a liability on the field as he was prone to committing turnovers. He led the league in interceptions thrown with 18 in the 2015 season alone and tallied a league-high 75 from 2014 to 2018.
His role as the Rams' backup playmaker to Jared Goff became unproductive as he saw limited action on the gridiron. Bortles' 2019 campaign was headlined by his first completion of the season in a Week 13 blowout victory against the Arizona Cardinals.
He accounted for a total of 17,646 passing yards on 2,632 attempts, and 103 scored touchdowns through six seasons. The veteran is currently on standby mode as he awaits another opportunity to redeem himself on another team in 2020.
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