Jaguars hang on to quarterback Bortles

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Blake Bortles might not be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is, however, at least their short-term solution. They signed the incumbent starter to a three-year, $54 million contract Saturday that will keep him under contract through the 2020 season. The deal includes $26.5 million guaranteed. “I definitely was looking forward to the opportunity of this happening, and knowing that it was done and now in the rear-view mirror, we can move on and get back to just worrying about football and not having to deal with money and contracts and all that stuff,” Bortles said during a conference call with reporters. “Either way, however this went, I don’t think it would have had a ton of effect on how I feel. Thrilled to be able to stay here and playing Jacksonville and fired up to continue to work with the guys that are here.” The team announced the move one day after handing out two-year extensions to top executive Tom Coughlin, general manager Dave Caldwell and coach Doug Marrone. Re-signing the 25-year-old Bortles is an indication of how the front office and coaching staff feel about their current roster: They want to keep as many pieces in place for another run at the Super Bowl. This past season, the Jaguars won the AFC South for the first time in team history and made the playoffs for the first time in a decade. They advanced to the AFC title game for the first time since 2000, losing to New England 24-20 after having a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Bortles showed signs of progress in his fourth NFL season despite playing 19 games with a partially torn ligament in his right wrist that required surgery last month. He completed a career-high 60 percent of his passes for 3,687 yards with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Still, Bortles has flaws to fix. He need to be more accurate, especially in tight spaces, and has to be better adept at getting the offense out of bad plays and into better ones. There had been plenty of speculation the Jaguars would turn to free agency or the draft to replace Bortles, but they sent a strong message with their move weeks before free agency begins.

BASEBALL

› FORT MYERS, Fla. — Nearly two full weeks into spring training, dozens of accomplished free agents around the major leagues are still unsigned. There’s a new rule limiting visits to the mound, too, creating at least some early confusion about how to keep track. So while their collective bargaining agreement runs through four more seasons, players have been expressing more frustration with owners lately than usual during an offseason marked by increased tension between the sides. “The goal of collective bargaining is not labor peace. It’s a fair and equitable deal. Fifteen months in, we’re seeing things that we’ve never seen before, and that raises concerns,” union leader Tony Clark said. Clark began his annual tour of camps on Saturday with the Boston Red Sox. Clark said after the meeting in the team’s clubhouse that the union’s special training camp for free agents in Bradenton, Fla., will stay open indefinitely. About onethird of the 166 players who exercised free agency rights last November have not reached a contract agreement, including stars such as starting pitcher Jake Arrieta and third baseman Mike Moustakas. Signings have begun to pick up over the past week, though, and Clark acknowledged not every player will find a team.