Steve Mitchell / USA TODAY Sports
Blake Bortles had seen enough of Louisiana and it didn’t seem to be long before he wanted out. When the New Orleans Saints signed Jameis Winston to a new contract that certainly makes him the starting quarterback in 2022, Bortles had hopes of at least competing for the role as backup — against sophomore talent Ian Book, in Following Taysom Hill’s decision to work on it is now coming to a close. Instead, the Saints have decided to add Andy Dalton to the roster and Bortles has no interest in fighting for a QB3 spot.
On Tuesday, the veteran demanded and received his discharge from the organization. The move brings the former third overall pick into a now calm sea of free agency for any team seeking a potential QB2.
Bortles, 29, began his career as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ pick in 2014, helping lead the team to an AFC Championship appearance and subsequently earning a short-lived contract extension. Not long after, the wheels began to fall off the Jaguars and Bortles’ journey through the NFL began. He would spend time with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 before staying even shorter with the Denver Broncos, and then again with the Rams — both in 2020 — and then with the Green Bay Packers in 2021.
His stint with the Saints was the shortest of all, and his career record of 24-49 isn’t the most attractive in the current stable of free agent QBs. But if Bortles can convince another team, which he couldn’t convince the Saints to do, he’ll get another chance to potentially endorse someone’s starter.
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