Jacksonville Jaguars

Former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday at the age of 30.

Jake Marsh of Barstool Sports broke the news after Bortles made the announcement on the Pardon My Take podcast, saying: "I have not touched a football since January. I have officially retired."

Bortles added: "I didn't tell anybody I retired. 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?"

Although Bortles noted that he is "set" in his decision, he also admitted that he would return to the NFL if a team is willing to offer him a contract that is too good to pass up.

Bortles appeared in games for the Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams over the course of six seasons from 2014 to 2019, and he was also under contract with the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints in 2021.

Jacksonville selected Bortles with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft out of UCF, and he served as the team's primary starter in each of his first five seasons.

While Bortles largely struggled to the tune of a 24-49 record as a starter, he did enjoy some success, including the 2015 season when he threw for a career-high 4,428 yards and 35 touchdowns, although he also led the league with 18 interceptions.

His numbers weren't as strong two years later, but the Jags had one of their best seasons in franchise history, going 10-6 and making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game with Bortles as the starter.

Bortles and the Jags were agonizingly close to reaching the Super Bowl, as they led the New England Patriots 20-10 in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game, but two touchdown passes from Tom Brady to Danny Amendola sealed it for the Pats.

After Bortles played poorly the following season, the Jaguars cut bait, and he spent 2019 as a backup with the Rams.

Bortles spent most of 2020 on the Denver Broncos' practice squad and was on the Packers' and Saints' rosters over the past couple of offseasons, but got cut before the campaign started each time.

Although Bortles' career numbers and record dictate that he was a bust as the No. 3 overall pick, he had undeniable talent that was often curtailed by poor decision-making and a bad supporting cast around him.

At the very least, Bortles was a key part of a surprising 2017 Jaguars team that nearly went the distance, and that figures to be talked about by football fans for many years to come.

Doug Pederson is hopeful Philadelphia Eagles fans remember the good times when he returns to the City of Brotherly Love this week.

The Jacksonville Jaguars head coach told reporters Wednesday he'd like to get a standing ovation:

Philadelphians can be unforgiving at times, but they're also more than willing to celebrate figures who helped to deliver success in the past. Andy Reid got a positive reception in his first game back as the Kansas City Chiefs head coach in 2013.

Pederson spent five years as the Eagles' coach. He helped lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl title in 2017 as well as an NFC East title in 2019.

One presumes Pederson will get plenty of cheers before Sunday's game, because that Super Bowl triumph earned him a lot of goodwill. But he may not be all that popular if the Jaguars hand the Eagles their first loss of the season.

After suffering a torn Achilles late last season, Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson is set to return sooner than most might have expected.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson told reporters on Monday that Robinson "definitely" will play in the team's Week 1 matchup against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

While Robinson's return is surely a welcome sight for the Jaguars offense, he's not expected to see a substantial workload in his first few outings. Pederson indicated in late August that he plans on easing Robinson back into team's rushing attack, saying, "I don’t think you go full steam ahead. I think you gradually increase his reps."

Robinson has been Jacksonville's lead back in his first two NFL seasons, but he will cede those duties this year to Travis Etienne Jr., who is fully healthy after missing his entire rookie year with a foot injury. Fantasy football managers are hoping for a big year from Etienne, but Robinson's presence could complicate things.

The third-year speedster has totaled 1,837 rushing yards over his first two seasons, so he's known to be a dependable ball-carrier. He's also a solid receiver out of the backfield. When healthy, Robinson could end up taking carries away from Etienne, who is considered more of a big-play threat.

It appears that the Jaguars don't have a set plan for splitting the workload among their running backs and will rather feed whoever has the hot hand on any given day.

"We have a vision for what we hope it is,” offensive coordinator Press Taylor said of the team's rushing attack. “You kind of always envision what you're going to do when everybody's healthy, but until we get to that point and we see everybody in there and everybody is available on game day, then you kind of just have to go with what you have in that particular availability for that game."

The Jacksonville Jaguars will reportedly sign defensive end Mario Edwards, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Edwards was released by the Chicago Bears last week despite two years remaining on his initial three-year contract. He appeared in 12 games last season, tallying just eight tackles and two sacks.

The 28-year-old has 16.5 career sacks across seven NFL seasons with the Bears, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Raiders.

Edwards was suspended for the first two games last year for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. A lawsuit filed last October also accused Edwards of "assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress" from an instead that took place at the team hotel, although it was later dismissed.

The NFL investigated and determined not to suspend him under the personal-conduct policy.

Edwards will now get a fresh start with the Jaguars, a defense that had tied for the fifth-fewest sacks in the NFL last season. The squad finished 3-14 while ranking 28th in points allowed during a miserable 2021 campaign, mostly under Urban Meyer.

New head coach Doug Pederson is looking to turn things around in 2022, and Edwards will join a pass-rush that also includes Josh Allen, Dawuane Smoot and former Bears teammate Roy Robertson-Harris.

It might be time to pump the brakes on the Travis Etienne hype.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson told reporters James Robinson is expected to be ready for Week 1 as he continues his recovery from a torn Achilles. Robinson has been participating in team drills as he ramps up his activity, which could make the Jaguars' backfield a timeshare.

Etienne missed all of the 2021 season with a Lisfranc injury that required surgery. He's been a full participant in the offseason program and has drawn significant hype in fantasy drafts, going as the No. 44 overall pick (RB20) in PPR drafts, per FantasyPros' composite ADP.

Robinson can be had at a far cheaper price, going with pick No. 103 as the 37th running back off the board.

Pederson's comments will likely bump Robinson's ADP inside the top 100. But given their current draft prices, Robinson is by far the better value of the two Jacksonville running backs.

The former undrafted free agent has been the only positive aspect of the Jaguars' offense the last two seasons, compiling 1,837 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 28 games. While Etienne is the better pass-catcher of the two, Robinson has racked up 80 catches in his first two seasons and isn't a slouch as a potential three-down back.

If Robinson is the same player post-Achilles tear as he was beforehand—which, admittedly, is a big ask—he'll play his way into at least a 50-50 timeshare. In standard and half-point PPR leagues, Robinson is an even better value given the decrease in his passing game volume won't hurt as much.

Etienne is being drafted close to the apex of his potential across the board. He'll still have value in PPR formats, but you can probably drop him into the RB30 range in standard leagues.

Trevor Lawrence's rookie season was nothing short of a disappointment, as the 2021 top overall pick ranked among the NFL's worst starting quarterbacks in every statistical category.

ESPN's Todd McShay thinks the concern over Lawrence is a little overblown, casting blame on the Jacksonville Jaguars' ill-fated decision to hire Urban Meyer as head coach.

"It's easy to look at raw production and make conclusions, but even though Lawrence's rookie-season stat line is unimpressive, I'm not sure there are many QBs who could have even accomplished what he did, given the status of the Jacksonville team," McShay wrote. "Turmoil within the franchise, a midseason coaching change and a lack of talent around him on offense put Lawrence in a tough spot. And the Jaguars' offense system just didn't seem to fit him. Some of the struggles certainly fall on him, but we shouldn't discount his situation."

The Jaguars drafted Lawrence into a situation that was nothing short of a disaster. Meyer, one of the most successful coaches in college football history, was an utter failure over an ugly 13-game tenure as an NFL head coach. He clashed repeatedly with coaches and players, with the Jaguars finally firing him after former kicker Josh Lambo publicly accused Meyer of kicking him during warmups.

Not only did Meyer struggle with the interpersonal relationships necessary to be a head coach, but he also installed an offensive system that left Lawrence hanging out to dry. Too often the rookie quarterback was forced to make throws into tight windows as the pocket collapsed around him. Too often those throws would wind up going to the other team, with Meyer failing to make any noticeable adjustments.

By every measure, Meyer is on a very short list of worst coaching hires in NFL history.

Jacksonville also put Lawrence at a massive personnel deficit. The team surrounded its rookie quarterback with zero above-average starting NFL receivers and a poor offensive line. Meyer also seemingly had a disdain for James Robinson, a wildly effective back despite his circumstances, and intermittently benched him for an ineffective Carlos Hyde.

Lawrence finished his rookie season with 3,641 passing yards and 12 touchdowns against 17 interceptions. He carries his own share of the blame, often trying to do too much while being surrounded by too little.

The Jaguars attempted to atone for their mistakes this offseason, lavishing wideout Christian Kirk and guard Brandon Scherff with massive contracts and hiring a Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson.

While it wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch, Lawrence looked more comfortable in his preseason debut this weekend against the Cleveland Browns than at any point under Meyer last season.

There was no Derek Carr, no Davante Adams and no Trevor Lawrence in the 2022 Hall of Fame Game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, but there was one notable name to watch.

And that notable name was Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker, who just so happened to be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft.

He wasted little time making an impression in his NFL debut at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, blowing past the Raiders' offensive line and getting a quarterback hit. Unfortunately for the rookie, he was whistled for roughing the passer.

Walker quickly learned, though, and notched a sack on Las Vegas' second possession.

His power, speed and ability to use his arms as leverage stood out to plenty of viewers:

The final score matters far less than individual performances in the preseason, especially in the first game. Walker got consistent pressure on Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham and looked the part of a franchise cornerstone for a team that needs one on the defensive side.

If he can build on this opening performance throughout the preseason, he should be ready to lead the defense in the season opener against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 11.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson announced Tuesday that neither quarterback Trevor Lawrence nor running back Travis Etienne will play Thursday in the preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Lawrence, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft, showed flashes of brilliance but largely struggled as a rookie last season. Starting all 17 games, the 22-year-old threw for 3,641 yards, 12 touchdowns and a league-high 17 interceptions as the 3-14 Jaguars finished with the worst record in the NFL for the second year in a row.

Jacksonville revamped its roster on both sides of the ball in the offseason and hired a former Super Bowl winner in Pederson as its new head coach after firing Urban Meyer.

Lawrence earned his first career victory in Week 6 of last season when the Jaguars topped the Miami Dolphins in London. It was the team's first win since the 2020 season opener, snapping a 20-game losing streak that was the second-longest skid in the Super Bowl era.

Etienne, who was Lawrence's college teammate at Clemson, was selected by Jacksonville 25th overall in 2021.

He was expected to make an instant impact as a rookie and perhaps supplant James Robinson as the team's starter, but he didn't appear in a single regular-season game after suffering a Lisfranc injury.

Although Etienne will be held out of the Hall of Fame Game, all signs point toward him being good to go for Week 1 of the regular season.

Pederson noted that Jake Luton will get the start at QB on Thursday,

Jacksonville Jaguars star Josh Allen has already seen a culture shift under first-year head coach Doug Pederson.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Allen described the locker room and environment as "professional," drawing a contrast to how things were during Urban Meyer's brief stint with the Jaguars:

From the moment he was hired, many wondered how Meyer would adjust to the NFL. He had never worked in the league, and his general revulsion toward losing games didn't fit.

The worst fears about the 58-year-old were realized when a 2-11 record and series of missteps got him fired in December.

In March, The Athletic's Jayson Jenks and Mike Sando wrote a lengthy feature on Meyer's tenure.

In addressing a bad play from a preseason game, Meyer allegedly threatened a group of players that he would cut them if they made the mistake again and said, "You couldn't get a job paying more than $15 an hour" if they were released. In another instance, he reportedly "berated a player so harshly that the player cried."

One member of the football operations staff described the Jaguars' culture under Meyer as "the most toxic environment I've ever been a part of," per Jenks and Sando.

Pederson referenced the mess Meyer left behind during a news conference in May.

"I do believe there has to be some kind of healing with the situation and everything that transpired last year because it's just there's a lack of trust that was broken, I think," he said. "For me, it's about gaining the trust back, and they have to see it through me. They have to see the transparency, the honesty."

Winning is a great tonic, one that can cover up whatever is happening behind the scenes. The dysfunction that permeated the Jacksonville locker room under Meyer made it more difficult to win, though.

Pederson appears to be laying a more solid foundation.