Dec 23, 2018; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) points at the line of scrimmage during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins
Blake Bortles publically announced his retirement after eight seasons in the NFL on his appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast.
Bortles, who was the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, played five seasons in Jacksonville before spending a single season with the Rams and passing cups of coffee around practice squads over the past couple seasons. Bortles’ most memorable moment was propelling the Jaguars to the 2017 AFC title game, nearly pulling up a stunning upset against the Patriots. Outside of that, it was a relatively quiet career. Jacksonville fell back to Earth a year later, which proved to be his final run with the franchise.
Bortles stated on the podcast that he quietly retired a month ago, a move that did not garner much attention.
“I have not touched a football since January,” Bortles said, when asked if he was ready to sign with a team if the opportunity presented itself. “I quietly—I didn’t tell anybody—I retired two months ago probably. I just didn’t tell anyone, so I guess you guys are the first to hear publicly.”
Bortles appeared in 78 games in his eight seasons in the league, starting 73—all for the Jaguars. A notoriously an erratic risk-taker, Bortles was stunningly a top-10 fantasy quarterback in 2015 miraculously heaving 35 touchdowns (along with 18 picks) and more than 4400 passing yards. No quarterback threw more interceptions than Bortles from 2014 to 2018.
The NFL clipboard-holding legend will go down in history as fan favorite. Best of luck on his future endeavors.
