I've been pro Bortles his entire tenure.  I've defended him more than any poster except one.  I'm just laying out our two options.  If you were the GM and don't like option number one, then take option number two.

Would I rather have Bortles or a rookie 1st round quarterback?  In a vacuum, I definitely would take Bortles.  However, if I'm the GM and Jackson or Mayfield are sitting there at likely more than $16 million dollars per year cheaper for the next 4 seasons and I know I have more work to do with the offense, then I would have to strongly consider it, especially considering you could probably get a strong return on a Bortles trade.

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It was a smart contract.  It doesn't change the fact that it's a long-term starter contract with an out after a year if it doesn't work.  If he worked out, they had a long-term starter on the cheap.  If he didn't, or they drafted a quarterback (they did) they could cut bait after a season.

Jackson or Mayfield?
Bro... this ain't 2015, we won't be drafting high enough to get those guys.
Best case scenario, imo, would be a massive trade from 20 something to the teens for a worthy QB and even still...he's a rookie coming from a non traditional college offense.

The team realistically has 2 options, play Bortles at 19 mil or extend him. Cutting him just isn't happening after his sudden turnaround. Even if you're weary of setbacks the team has invested so much time into him I just don't see them cutting him.

I'd prefer they play him at 19 mil for one season. Yeah it's a lot of cash but if he regresses, it's a one and done. An extension, even if it gets down to 14-15 mil per year, Hell even if he takes a discount for 12-13... likely includes more guarantees than 19 mil over the course of the contract.
Bortles has no reason to take a discount though. He can play hardball if he keeps playing well and accept no less than the 19. If he bets on himself and wins, 19 mil will be a drop in the bucket on what he gets the next year. If he loses, he earns 19 mil and likely still gets a contract around 10 mil a year or more from someone else the following season.

Trading Bortles with his 19 mil for one year isn't an option. Extending him and then trading him makes even less sense really.
So a scenario where Bortles is not on the roster would HAVE to be breaking the bank on a FA (which options are even more slim than what was perceived at the beginning of the year) and drafting a QB OR drafting a QB in round 1, with a trade up to get a QB worthy of starting day one, and a cheap veteran back up, which looking at contracts everyone south of 10 mil is pretty much going to be 2016 Bortles or worse.

I'd be willing to bet they can save a little...even if it's only $1 mil per...off his $19 mil pricetag with an extension. I'm thinking 3-years for $51 to $54 mil possibly in a backloaded deal that saves even more off his cap hit for 2018. 

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'02

They've already picked up his 5th year option. When he wins a postseason game and beyond, you best believe he's going to get paid in the off-season.

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Jackson or Mayfield?
Bro... this ain't 2015, we won't be drafting high enough to get those guys.
Best case scenario, imo, would be a massive trade from 20 something to the teens for a worthy QB and even still...he's a rookie coming from a non traditional college offense.

The team realistically has 2 options, play Bortles at 19 mil or extend him. Cutting him just isn't happening after his sudden turnaround. Even if you're weary of setbacks the team has invested so much time into him I just don't see them cutting him.

I'd prefer they play him at 19 mil for one season. Yeah it's a lot of cash but if he regresses, it's a one and done. An extension, even if it gets down to 14-15 mil per year, Hell even if he takes a discount for 12-13... likely includes more guarantees than 19 mil over the course of the contract.
Bortles has no reason to take a discount though. He can play hardball if he keeps playing well and accept no less than the 19. If he bets on himself and wins, 19 mil will be a drop in the bucket on what he gets the next year. If he loses, he earns 19 mil and likely still gets a contract around 10 mil a year or more from someone else the following season.

Trading Bortles with his 19 mil for one year isn't an option. Extending him and then trading him makes even less sense really.
So a scenario where Bortles is not on the roster would HAVE to be breaking the bank on a FA (which options are even more slim than what was perceived at the beginning of the year) and drafting a QB OR drafting a QB in round 1, with a trade up to get a QB worthy of starting day one, and a cheap veteran back up, which looking at contracts everyone south of 10 mil is pretty much going to be 2016 Bortles or worse.

I'd be willing to bet they can save a little...even if it's only $1 mil per...off his $19 mil pricetag with an extension. I'm thinking 3-years for $51 to $54 mil possibly in a backloaded deal that saves even more off his cap hit for 2018. 

But why would we wanna lock ourselves in for 3 years for a measly $1 million per year? We don't know if Bortles can string two seasons like this together, much less the rest of his career. Let's just let the current contract play out and then we can work on a long term deal if he has another good season in 2018.

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I'd be willing to bet they can save a little...even if it's only $1 mil per...off his $19 mil pricetag with an extension. I'm thinking 3-years for $51 to $54 mil possibly in a backloaded deal that saves even more off his cap hit for 2018. 

But why would we wanna lock ourselves in for 3 years for a measly $1 million per year? We don't know if Bortles can string two seasons like this together, much less the rest of his career. Let's just let the current contract play out and then we can work on a long term deal if he has another good season in 2018.

Because this year's number will be less than next year's if he's good and a frontloaded deal like Dave usually does still lets us move on if we need to. Letting a qb get to free agency or having to tag him isn't good for negotiating.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

But why would we wanna lock ourselves in for 3 years for a measly $1 million per year? We don't know if Bortles can string two seasons like this together, much less the rest of his career. Let's just let the current contract play out and then we can work on a long term deal if he has another good season in 2018.

Because this year's number will be less than next year's if he's good and a frontloaded deal like Dave usually does still lets us move on if we need to. Letting a qb get to free agency or having to tag him isn't good for negotiating.

Absolutely....as long as he doesn't fizzle out he will likely get an extension.

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Jackson or Mayfield?
Bro... this ain't 2015, we won't be drafting high enough to get those guys.
Best case scenario, imo, would be a massive trade from 20 something to the teens for a worthy QB and even still...he's a rookie coming from a non traditional college offense.

The team realistically has 2 options, play Bortles at 19 mil or extend him. Cutting him just isn't happening after his sudden turnaround. Even if you're weary of setbacks the team has invested so much time into him I just don't see them cutting him.

I'd prefer they play him at 19 mil for one season. Yeah it's a lot of cash but if he regresses, it's a one and done. An extension, even if it gets down to 14-15 mil per year, Hell even if he takes a discount for 12-13... likely includes more guarantees than 19 mil over the course of the contract.
Bortles has no reason to take a discount though. He can play hardball if he keeps playing well and accept no less than the 19. If he bets on himself and wins, 19 mil will be a drop in the bucket on what he gets the next year. If he loses, he earns 19 mil and likely still gets a contract around 10 mil a year or more from someone else the following season.

Trading Bortles with his 19 mil for one year isn't an option. Extending him and then trading him makes even less sense really.
So a scenario where Bortles is not on the roster would HAVE to be breaking the bank on a FA (which options are even more slim than what was perceived at the beginning of the year) and drafting a QB OR drafting a QB in round 1, with a trade up to get a QB worthy of starting day one, and a cheap veteran back up, which looking at contracts everyone south of 10 mil is pretty much going to be 2016 Bortles or worse.

I'd be willing to bet they can save a little...even if it's only $1 mil per...off his $19 mil pricetag with an extension. I'm thinking 3-years for $51 to $54 mil possibly in a backloaded deal that saves even more off his cap hit for 2018. 

He won't sign that deal. 

If he plays as well as we hope he will for the rest of the season, if he's "good Blake," then he will want and deserve a lot more than that, based on market value.   And if he reverts to "bad Blake," I would want someone else.  

So there's no in-between here, where he performs well, and yet we get him on the cheap.   That's not going to happen.

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Personally I think Dalton might be done in Cincy.
They're gonna have some turnover on staff that won't be tied to that QB per say.
Honestly I haven't seen anything in my scouring of the interwebs to find that Rosen is likely to declare. Jim Mora actually said he's pretty sure he's coming back to school.
But lets say they all declare.
So... say we're picking 25th... How many QB hungry teams will pick before us? You really think there'll be a clear cut franchise guy to be had there?

Sure, if Caldwell and Coughlin think there is a franchise QB at 25 I say pick him.
But I don't think that means we should go into the next season with that guy and some scrub 5 mil per year veteran.
It's asking to take a step or two back. I mean, the last time Caldwell saw a franchise guy, he picked him in the top 5 and it took him more than 3 years to develop.

It seems you're more interested in saving cap money than the team being good or competitive the next season.
We don't have a cap problem. The numbers were in our favor when discussing paying oodles to Cousins... Bortles 19 mil isn't going to break us and certainly wouldn't have any effect after 2018 should we have to move on.

Let me be clear, I think we should draft a QB... Hell, if it's round 1, then it's round 1.
But I don't think by drafting a QB we should cut Bortles just to save 13 mil on one year.

Jim Mora is no longer the head coach. I see no reason why Rosen won't declare. He doesn't fit Chip Kelly's offense at all. Kelly needs a mobile QB for that scheme and Rosen is a pure drop back passer that needs good blocking. Just look at the injuries he has amassed. He's not durable enough to run Kelly's system. 

There probably won't be a franchise QB fall to #25, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. I've seen a lot crazier things happen. I never would've believed Aaron Rodgers would've fallen as far as he did, but it happened. You never know. 

In any case, I agree with you though. Keep Bortles on his current deal through 2018 and draft a QB high.

And this is where my lacking of total college football knowledge hurts me in college evals lol
I totally forgot about Kelly being the new coach there lol

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