Sticking with Bortles consigns Jaguars to another lost season

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, it's out with the old, in with the ... old?

Following a quarterback competition that lasted a laughable 10 days, the Jaguars opted to extend the Blake Bortles era Saturday, handing the young pivot back his starting job after he barely outplayed Chad Henne in the team's third preseason game Thursday.

Apparently, the bar was that low, and the Jaguars, that desperate.

But Jacksonville is desperate because of a completely avoidable mess of its own making.

Bortles needed competition after an abysmal 2016 campaign; instead, the Jaguars re-signed Henne, drafted Brandon Allen in the sixth round, and went off to pat themselves on the back for a job well done.

While the free-agent quarterback market wasn't exactly flush with standout options, the Jaguars had the chance to sign someone like Chase Daniel, Case Keenum, or Brian Hoyer - all superior to the underwhelming Henne and at least capable of pushing Bortles.

And that's without considering the elephant in the room, Colin Kaepernick, whom no sensible person would argue is inferior to Bortles.

But despite bringing in the hard-nosed Tom Coughlin as executive vice president of football operations to shake up the culture, the Jaguars continued to bury their heads in the sand when it came to football's most important position.

What makes their decision even more perplexing is the state of the rest of the roster, which could realistically challenge for the AFC South with competent quarterback play.

Jacksonville captured two of the biggest free agents on the market, cornerback A.J. Bouye and defensive lineman Calais Campbell. They join a defense that showed potential in 2016 by finishing sixth in average yards allowed per game (though they were 25th in average points allowed per game).

First-round running back Leonard Fournette is the rightfully the favorite for Rookie Of The Year, and while receivers Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns regressed last season, that had much more to do with Bortles than their level of talent.

The Jaguars didn't even need to fix their porous offensive line or inconsistent pass rush to contend in their weak division (... and they didn't).

The Indianapolis Colts are rebuilding their defense again and waiting for updates on Andrew Luck's shoulder with increasing panic. The Houston Texans boast a NFL-best defense but a stagnant offense led by journeyman Tom Savage. And while the Tennessee Titans look set to make the leap to contender status, questions linger about their pass defense and the lack of creativity in head coach Mike Mularkey's offense.

The Jaguars have botched this at every turn, from starting the offseason with Bortles as unquestioned starter to their pathetic attempt at appeasing frustrated fans by creating a "competition" with Henne. Avoiding the possibility of adding Kaepernick - even though their owner would've signed off on the move - was the icing on the bitter, stale cake.

And Jacksonville's made sure Bortles can potentially cause problems in 2018 too. By exercising the young pivot's fifth-year option, the Jaguars risk being unable to cut ties with him, since his $19-million 2018 salary is guaranteed for injury.

All the strides the Jaguars have taken are for naught - all because of the organization's inability to move on from a wildly inconsistent, turnover-prone player who's coasting on his draft status and the supposed upside that comes with being an athletic, tall, and well-built quarterback.

Maybe next year, Jaguars fans.