The sun has officially set on Blake Bortles' football career.
The former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback candidly announced his retirement on the Pardon My Take podcast on Tuesday when asked about potentially signing with a team this season.
"I have not touched a football since January," Bortles said. "I have officially retired."
Bortles hadn't played an official NFL snap since the 2019 season when he was Jared Goff's backup with the Rams. The 30-year-old bounced around multiple practice squads since, including stops in Denver, Los Angeles, Green Bay and New Orleans.
Despite signing a reserve/future contract with New Orleans this past January, the Saints parted ways with Bortles after the club inked Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton this offseason. Bortles dressed for the Saints' Week 16 loss versus the Dolphins last season, but didn't see action as Ian Book's emergency backup.
"I didn't tell anybody I retired," he said on Tuesday. "A couple of months ago, probably, just didn't tell anyone. So, I guess you guys are kind of the first to hear it publicly, maybe?"
Bortles' pro career thrived intermittently in Jacksonville after the UCF product was selected by the Jaguars with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. The gunslinger set single-season franchise records in passing yards (4,428), touchdowns (35) and completions (368) along an impressive three-year stretch from 2015 to 2017, which culminated in an appearance in the AFC Championship Game versus the New England Patriots.
The sequel to that 2017 playoff run fizzled the following season, when Bortles was benched by Week 13 in favor of Cody Kessler and released from the team after that season before landing in L.A.
In five seasons with the Jaguars (75 games; 24-49 record), Bortles threw for 17,646 yards on 1,561 completions with 103 touchdowns and 75 interceptions. Each of those marks rank second on the Jaguars' all-time passing records behind Mark Brunell.
