The Facts: Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Bortles' wrist surgery won't alter what was already the plan: For Bortles to be their quarterback in 2018.
Diehards Line:The Jaguars picked up Bortles' $19 million option last May, with GM Dave Caldwell supporting such a decision by pointing out it would be an average salary for a starting quarterback in 2018. While that's true, the option's additional guarantee wasn't discussed. If Bortles is on the roster on the first day of the new league year (March 14), his option becomes fully guaranteed. The option is also fully guaranteed for injury, making the possibility of Jacksonville cutting the quarterback for salary-cap relief in pursuit of a signal-caller that much more complicated. So Rapoport's claim the team plans to keep him makes sense.