Quarterback Blake Bortles is signing with the Green Bay Packers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Bortles reportedly signed a one-year deal on Wednesday to compete for a roster spot in 2021. Bortles’ familiarity with Sean McVay’s offense and his rapport with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett likely factored into the signing. However, does that mean Bortles is simply a camp body, or does he have a legitimate shot at making the roster?
In-person workouts are scheduled to begin Monday, and Jordan Love is the only quarterback expected to attend. Therefore, Green Bay felt the need to find a veteran to start getting acquainted with a new offense. In that case, the Bortles signing makes a lot of sense.
However, you also have to consider the uncertainty surrounding the future of Aaron Rodgers. The team says they have no plans to trade Rodgers, but that could change if he doesn’t participate in their offseason programs and then fails to report to training camp.
If Rodgers is not on the Packers’ roster this season, the way we view Bortles will change drastically.
Bortles served as a backup to Jared Goff back in Los Angeles, where he became familiar with McVay’s offense. Most recently, he spent most of last season on Denver’s practice squad.
In six NFL seasons, the 29-year-old quarterback has accumulated 17,649 passing yards, 103 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions. Virtually all of that production came from his time starting for the Jacksonville Jaguars. From 2015 to 2018, Bortles was coached by Hackett, who served as his positional coach and later his offensive coordinator in Jacksonville. Hackett helped Bortles manage an offense that reached the AFC Championship game following the 2017 season.
In the end, this signing is less about Bortles’ credentials and more about his experience and familiarity with the offense. After the draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst said they would add a third and maybe even a fourth arm to the roster. Now they welcome in Bortles, who will have some level of knowledge of LaFleur’s system.
However, Bortles’ role could change in an instant. If Rodgers informs the team that he wants to be traded or that he won’t be returning to Green Bay, Bortles immediately becomes a candidate for the starting job.
While it would be nice to start the Love era immediately following a Rodgers departure, no one really knows what he can offer this franchise until he takes reps during an in-game setting. Love served as the third quarterback on last year’s depth chart, as the team chose to move forward with Tim Boyle as the primary backup. Boyle seemingly had very little trouble beating Love out during last year’s training camp.
If Love doesn’t impress this summer and then struggles in the preseason, even if Rodgers is still around, Bortles could be handed the job as the backup. All things considered, he’s entering a decent situation for a veteran quarterback and also has a solid chance of being on an NFL roster next season.
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