I'd be shocked if Bortles gets a deal as it wouldn't be a 1 year deal at a lower price to replace the option, it would be a multi-year deal with guarantees that exceed the option year price tag and why would they do that based on his entire body of work to date? So he'll either get cut (looking less likely as this team ascends) or the option will be kept and he'll be evaluated again next year and then we could tag him a couple years in a row after that. They won't and shouldn't hesitate to use the tag on him for multiple years because if they eventually find that they have their franchise QB in him, they'll happily pay him a yearly salary that is comparable to the franchise tag when the time comes. Allowing it to play out under the option and then the tag is the most sensible approach if they decide to retain him unless they're seeing that he's been more lucky than good this year and decide to go another direction in the offseason. He's played well in recent weeks, but I think we all (or vast majority at least) need to see it continue to be on board with him having a future here. We've won games in spite of him earlier this year and that probably won't fly going forward with Coughlin if that starts happening again between now and February, especially with better options potentially available in free agency.

Frankly, I've seen enough out of Cousins to be comfortable with the team deciding to pay him the salary he'll command in the offseason and I wasn't there with him last year, but he's performing at a high level even though they got rid of all his starting receivers from the year prior and Jordan Reed has been injured and unavailable more often than not. If that happens, then they are most assuredly not holding on to that 5th year option with Bortles. A lot of intrigue for the upcoming offseason, but we've got plenty of intrigue left in this season as well.

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