Jacksonville Jaguars fans who were hoping to see Blake Bortles at least suit up in the preseason will have to wait until the veteran quarterback finds a new team. When the New Orleans Saints signed Andy Dalton, Bortles asked to be released by the team and his request was granted, making him a free agent at the moment.
The Saints signed Bortles the day before Christmas last season when their quarterback’s room was dealing with COVID-19 issues. Both Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian tested positive for the coronavirus heading into Week 16’s game against the Miami Dolphins, so the team needed an arm behind Ian Book heading into it.
Bortles ended up signing a reserve/future contract with New Orleans in January, but with Dalton in the picture, his chances for the desired role took a hit.
Bortles, who was drafted third overall by the Jags in 2014 and spent five seasons with them, is entering his ninth season in the NFL. After his last season with the Jags in 2018, he spent the 2019 season with the Los Angeles Rams and had brief stints with the Denver Broncos, Rams (a second time), Green Bay Packers, and the Saints.
Bortles will enter the 2022 season with a 59.3 completion percentage (1,562-of-2,634), 17,649 total passing yards, 103 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions. However, his last regular season snaps took place in 2019 with the Rams.
With the draft coming up, maybe teams will wait until after this month is over to potentially bring in Bortles, especially for the teams who aren’t able to add the desired depth to their quarterback rooms. That said, maybe he can find a team to join for training camp and stick with them as a QB2-QB3.