The Jaguars will start Cody Kessler at quarterback against the Colts this weekend after head coach Doug Marrone decided to move Blake Bortles to the bench.
Bortles started the last 72 games for Jacksonville and signed a three-year extension this offseason after piloting the Jags offense on the way to the AFC Championship Game last season. This year has seen none of that success, however, and Bortles said that he has no one but himself to blame for his winding up on the bench.
“I put myself in this position and I didn’t play good enough,” Bortles said, via ESPN.com. “Didn’t win football games. Couldn’t find a way to get it done. And when that happens, it’s a business and everybody understands that. I don’t think there’s anything personal involved. As a quarterback, I think you have one job and that’s to win a football game. And if you don’t do that, your time’s probably limited.”
The next question for Bortles is whether he will remain in Jacksonville. Releasing him would leave $16.5 million in dead money on the cap in 2019 -- $11.5 million if it’s designated a post-June 1 cut -- and it’s clear the team has to find other options for the position before next season gets underway.
Bortles knows that such decisions are on the horizon, but said his focus now is on helping Kessler while adding that he loves “playing football and would love the opportunity to play again.”
