After quiet 2019, what does the future hold for Blake Bortles?

The Rams would probably like to keep Blake Bortles, but he might seek another opportunity elsewhere.

The Jacksonville Jaguars cut ties with Blake Bortles last offseason, ushering in a new era by bringing in Nick Foles as a big-ticket free agent. Bortles saw no opportunities to be a starter elsewhere, so he decided to take a backseat to Jared Goff in Los Angeles and sign with the Rams as a backup.

Hoping to benefit from the magic of Sean McVay as his head coach, Bortles signed a $1 million contract with the Rams; the Jaguars were already on the hook for $6.5 million in 2019. It was Bortles’ first stint as a full-time backup, but he didn’t get many opportunities to showcase his skills.

He appeared in three games, completed 1 of 2 passes for 3 yards and carried it twice for minus-9 yards. In the preseason, he didn’t do much of anything, either. He played two exhibition games, completing 52.6% of his passes for 112 yards and one touchdown.

Bortles’ wonky mechanics and footwork didn’t seem to be improved very much since his time in Jacksonville, which was his biggest undoing as the Jaguars’ starter. It was a quiet season for Bortles, one that didn’t do much to help raise his stock.

Set to be a free agent in March, what’s next for Bortles?

The Rams still need a backup quarterback, only having John Wolford under contract behind Goff in 2020. But Wolford has no NFL experience and still has a lot of room for improvement. There will be options on the free-agent market – including Case Keenum and Colt McCoy, who Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell coached in 2018 – but they’re four and five years older than Bortles, respectively.

Ryan Tannehill will also be a free agent, but the Titans want to keep him and he looked like a starter in 2019. Marcus Mariota will try to land elsewhere as a QB1 for another team, while Jameis Winston will most likely sit atop a depth chart somewhere, too.

As of now, Bortles looks like the Rams’ best option at backup quarterback. He has a year of experience in McVay’s system, is friends with Goff – which helps the locker room dynamic – and is still only 28 years old. His mobility is a plus, too, considering how much the Rams like to move the pocket by rolling the quarterback out.

But would Bortles be willing to take a backseat to Goff for another season? There’s no doubt the competitor in him wants to be a starter, but with so few openings available and such a strong free-agent class coming up, his options will be limited.

Here are the teams that could be looking for a starting quarterback this offseason

  • Bengals (Joe Burrow)
  • Chargers (if Philip Rivers leaves)
  • Dolphins (hold No. 5 pick)
  • Colts (Jacoby Brissett is under contract)
  • Raiders (if Derek Carr is cut)
  • Buccaneers (if Winston leaves)
  • Bears (Mitchell Trubisky is likely to start)
  • Titans (if Mariota and Tannehill are gone)
  • Saints (if Drew Brees retires)
  • Patriots (if Tom Brady leaves)
  • That’s not a long list, and most of the teams have easy paths to starters. Of course, the Bengals could look for a veteran to start initially before turning to Burrow, and the Dolphins might want the same for their likely rookie draft pick.

But as you can see, there aren’t a ton of vacancies likely to be there for Bortles this offseason. He might have to accept the fact that he has to be a backup again in 2020, be it with the Rams or elsewhere.

What the Rams can’t offer him is even the slimmest chance to start. Goff is the No. 1 quarterback, and that isn’t going to change in the near future. The other teams on the aforementioned list might at least give him the chance to start early in the season – or compete for the starting job in an open camp competition.

The Rams should try to retain Bortles for a reasonable price – somewhere around $4-5 million per year – but they shouldn’t be surprised if he chooses to leave for another opportunity.