Blake Bortles is surrendering to Sean McVay's genius.
The ex-Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback signed with the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night to be the backup behind Jared Goff.
Bortles has suffered for years from an elongated throwing motion that discombobulates his entire operation, causes wayward heaves and has decimated any confidence he had entering the NFL as a first-round pick.
Still just turning 27 years old next month, Bortles believes McVay can revive his career.
"I mean, I think as a quarterback, there's not really anybody else you'd rather be around if you had your pick," Bortles said, via the team's official website. "What he's done, the people that have been taken out of here for head coaching jobs, and OC jobs in other places I think is a testament to how good he is at what he does, how good of a teacher and a coach he is. And you watch them play, and the effort and intensity that they play at speaks to the type of head coach he is and how he gets the guys going."
After posting abysmal numbers the past three seasons -- including 2018's 60 percent completion rate, 6.7 yards per pass and 13-11 TD-INT ratio in 13 games before being benched for Cody Kessler -- it's likely Bortles has seen his last days being touted as a bona fide starting NFL quarterback. Yet we've seen plenty of flash-in-the-pan signal-callers make a pretty good living as backup clipboard holders with starter experience. If Bortles plays his cards right, it could lead to a cushy million-dollar life with little pressure.
If Bortles wants to battle his way back through all the struggles, memes and headline scrutiny that would come with regaining a starting gig, he believes McVay's touch is the magic elixir to get him over the hump.
Considering how hot McVay is right now, and how his mere presence on a resume got coaches job interviews this offseason, it's not a bad bet by Bortles. It might be the best Hail Mary he's thrown in his career.
