Blake Bortles optimistic he can turn career around in LA

The Blake Bortles era in Jacksonville was one large epic fail, as the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft was surrounded by talent during the latter part of his tenure there, but his turnovers and errant passes doomed the team. A 59.3 percent completion percentage, as well as 75 interceptions and 46 fumbles, isn’t going to cut it in this day and age.

If Bortles had been just a bit more consistent, then the Jaguars may have been playing in Super Bowl LII. The team, after all, was really just a play or two away from beating the Patriots in the AFC title game that year. Had Bortles hit a wide-open Leonard Fournette on a wheel route for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars would’ve been able to ice the game, and we’d be talking about his legacy, rather than his downfall.

But Bortles’ stock is low right now, and instead of being a starting quarterback, he was forced to settle for the role of backup after being released by the team. Bortles signed a one-year deal with the Rams lat week, to essentially back up Jared Goff. He discussed what it means for him going forward in a conference call with reporters.

“I want to get an opportunity to start in this league and I think in order to do that, this is the best step,”Bortles said, via the LA Times. “And being here around McVay and helping Jared and kind of taking a year to do whatever I can to kind better myself.”

Bortles may not even see the field this season, but he appears ready for whatever is asked of him, which is the right mindset to have going in.