After reports have surfaced from both NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Dan Graziano, it appears the Jacksonville Jaguars will be ending their run with Blake Bortles this month. However, with plenty of ability and experience by his side, it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of him as a starter in the NFL. And while that may not come immediately, it’s also a given that he’ll be on an NFL team’s sidelines in 2019. Here are three teams who we believe are fits for him once the Jags make the move which has been anticipated for quite some time.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers make a ton of sense for Bortles and the biggest reason for that is head coach Bruce Arians, who was a part of the Arizona Cardinals staff that really liked the young quarterback when he was entering the 2014 draft. However, he never got the chance to be selected by the quarterback-needy team who were in the back of the draft order with the No. 27 overall pick.
Arians is a coach who has worked with a wide variety of big-name quarterbacks, including the player who Bortles has often been compared to in Ben Roethlisberger and may can help revitalize the veteran’s career. He’d also give Arians an established backup in the place of Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is set to be a free agent this month.
Add in the fact that Tampa Bay is a location that is an hour and a half away from Bortles’ hometown of Altamonte Springs, and I don’t think fans could find a better place for him to get a fresh start.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins will reportedly be releasing Ryan Tannehill this month, which will mark what most think is a rebuild for them under new coach Brian Flores. They’ll need a veteran quarterback in his place and Bortles could have a chance to start for the organization if he comes at the right price and they aren’t able to land a quarterback in the draft.
Similar to the situation with the Tampa Bay Bucs, Bortles may like Miami due to the fact that it would keep him in his native state and close to home. There is also the fact that the Dolphins have Bortles’ former offensive line coach, Pat Flaherty, who could vouch for the veteran after watching him aid the team to the 2017 AFC Championship.
New England Patriots
Yeah, I know, this is hard to image and also hard to stomach. However, the Patriots also liked Bortles as a prospect in 2014. In fact, they would’ve drafted him over Jimmy Garoppolo, according to NFL Network reporter and former Patriots great Willie McGinest.
With Garoppolo now out of the picture and Brady not getting any younger, the Patriots could use a quality backup. And while the GOAT probably wouldn’t offer many pointers for the BOAT, Bill Belichick may feel there is some potential to tap into for Bortles.
