Jaguars GM on picking up Bortles' option: $19M isn't a lot for a quarterback

Dave Caldwell noted that a $19 million salary is right around average for a starting quarterback

The Jacksonville Jaguars made Blake Bortles the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Bortles had a dreadful rookie season, progressed some in his second season, but regressed during his third. The Jags brought in new leadership at coach (Doug Marrone) and team president (Tom Coughlin) spots but decided to exercise Bortles' fifth-year option for the 2018 season anyway. 

"This is a smart business decision for the team for several reasons," Coughlin said, per the team's official website. "It makes sense for us going forward and it's good for Blake and for the Jaguars."

On Thursday, GM Dave Caldwell elaborated on why they felt picking up the $19 million-plus owed to Bortles during his fifth season made sense despite his poor play. 

"I think that slots him as the 16th highest quarterback next year, right around the median," Caldwell said on PFT Live. "If he was to get the franchise tender that puts him at the third or fourth or fifth ranked quarterback depending on who gets new deals next year."

Caldwell's basically right on that front. There are 14 quarterbacks making more than $19 million per year, according to Spotrac, and there are 17 scheduled to count against their team's cap for more than Bortles during the 2018 season (not including former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, whose cap hit from 2017 will be spread over two seasons and thus will drop behind Bortles). 

Caldwell also noted that the $19 million isn't the only consideration. The Jaguars also have Bortles under contract for the 2017 season, so the dollar value they're paying him on a per-year basis is significantly lower. 

"We look at two-year values on our contracts," Caldwell said. "I think this year he's scheduled to make about $3.2 million in cash, and then the $19 million next year is just a little over $22 million, it's a two-year, $11 million average on what is considered a new deal, and that puts him not in the Top 16 of quarterbacks."

An $11 million average annual value sits behind every non-rookie scale starting quarterback in the league. It ranks 22nd in the NFL. But while over the two seasons, they are indeed paying him like the below-average quarterback he appears to be, they still have to pay out that $19 million all in the second season, and if he doesn't progress as they apparently expect, it could hamper their ability to put a good enough roster around him.