Although Blake Bortles may have endured a rough stretch as a starting quarterback, it seems Sean McVay is still excited with what he brings to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams made a bit of splash by making Bortles the backup to Jared Goff. While his departure from Jacksonville may have been rather unceremonious, there are worse fates than ending up with a legitimate championship contender under the leadership of one of the brightest minds in the NFL.
There is no question that Bortles endured his fair share of ups and downs with the Jaguars. His positives were clearly more than enough for the Rams to pull the trigger on a deal.
According to Clarence Dennis of the team’s official website, McVay discussed what went into signing Bortles:
“I think when you look at the production over the course of his career, a guy that has played in some big-time games, has some athleticism and some different things that we like. There’s obviously a history and a rapport that he and Jared have,” McVay said. “I think, to be able to get a player of his caliber to be able to come in and be willing to be a backup, be a mentor to Jared, when they have a preexisting relationship. And somebody that’s won a lot of football games. I mean, you’re talking about a year removed from a great game in the divisional round against Pittsburgh and right down to the wire in the AFC Championship against New England.”
The Jaguars made quite the investment in Bortles during his tenure with the team after they took him with the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and later signed him to a lucrative contract extension prior to the 2018 campaign. While he may have underwhelmed during his time as a starting quarterback, it is safe to say that he is overqualified as a backup after being just two seasons removed from leading the Jaguars to the AFC Conference Championship.
Despite Bortles’ talent, he was never able to fully develop into a bonafide franchise quarterback in Jacksonville. Perhaps some time with McVay could be just what he needs in order to help him achieve it.
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