JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed fourth-year QB Blake Bortles to a contract extension that runs through the 2020 season, the club announced today.

“Blake’s growth and development last season was a key to the success we had as a team,” said Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin. “Blake has proven, with toughness and dependability, that he can be the leader this team needs going forward. Along with this contract come high expectations that he will continue to improve and help our team accomplish its ultimate goal.”

Bortles, 6-5, 236, led the Jaguars to a 2-1 postseason record in January’s playoff games. This marked Jacksonville’s first postseason appearance since the 2007 season and the Jaguars’ 2017 AFC South division title was the team’s first since the 1999 season. He has appeared in 62 regular season games with 61 starts and has completed 1,318 of 2,229 career passes (59.1 comp. pct.) for 14,928 yards, 90 TDs and 64 INTs for a passer rating of 80.8. Bortles has also rushed for 1,410 yards and seven TDs on 223 attempts and his 6.32 career rush avg. ranks fourth in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 200 rush attempts.

In the red zone in 2017, Bortles completed 30 of 53 passes for 220 yards, 18 TDs and zero INTs for a passer rating of 106.1. In 2017, he also posted three of his top-five highest single-game passer ratings: a 143.8 rating on Dec. 17 vs. Houston (highest of his career), a 128.2 rating on Sept. 24 vs. Baltimore in London (third-highest) and a 124.7 rating on Oct. 22 (fifth-highest).

In Jaguars history, Bortles ranks second in career passing TDs, and third in career completions (1,318) and passing yards (14,928). Bortles’ 14,928 passing yards, which are the most for a Jaguars quarterback through 62 games in franchise history, are the fourth-most in NFL history by a player through his first four NFL seasons. Bortles is the only player in franchise history to produce multiple games with four-plus passing TDs. In three career postseason games, all in January 2018, Bortles completed 49 of 85 passes (57.6 comp. pct.) for 594 yards, three TDs and zero INTs for a 91.0 passer rating, in addition to 121 rushing yards on 17 carries (7.1 rush avg.).

Bortles, 25, played three seasons at the University of Central Florida (2011-13) and appeared in 37 games with 30 starts, compiling a 22-5 record. With the Knights, Bortles completed 585 of 891 passes for 7,598 yards, 56 TDs and 19 INTs before declaring for the draft following his junior season. He was selected by the Jaguars with the third overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft. Bortles, a native of Oviedo, Fla., attended Oviedo High School and set Seminole County records with 5,576 passing yards and 53 TDs. Bortles, who also played baseball, has one brother, Colby, who was drafted in 2017 by the Detroit Tigers organization.

QUOTE SHEET FOR QUARTERBACK BLAKE BORTLES’ CONTRACT EXTENSION

HEAD COACH DOUG MARRONE:

First off, I want to say congratulations to Blake and his family. I called him earlier to tell him how excited I was for him and how he has earned this opportunity. He was pumped up. He loves the city of Jacksonville and he loves his teammates. He has worked so hard for this and it’s really great to see him earn a second contract with the Jaguars.

I’ve been around Blake for the past three seasons, only one as the head coach, but I have seen him grow considerably in all facets: the way he prepares, the way he takes care of his body, the way he leads the team, the way he holds himself and his teammates accountable.

I have said it all along – I think Blake is one of the toughest people I have ever met, and I’m talking about his mental and physical toughness. He never lets the outside noise get him away from where his focus is, which is always on being a great teammate and being a great leader for our organization.

TIGHT END MARCEDES LEWIS:

“I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Blake mature and progress for the past four years and the one thing that I admire the most about him is his attitude. He is an ultimate competitor and will do whatever he can to help the team win. That’s his only goal. He’s not worried about personal credit or accolades; his sole focus is on being a great leader and a great teammate and I am very excited for him and his family on a very well earned extension. I can’t wait to be back on the field with Blake and my other teammates in April.”

CENTER BRANDON LINDER:

“We’ve always trusted Blake and we’re excited that he’ll lead our offense for years to come. He’s one of the toughest guys I know and I’m confident that he’ll continue to make us better on a daily basis.”

DEFENSIVE TACKLE MALIK JACKSON:

“No. 5 is our guy. He’s been through a lot and proved a lot last season. He’s the type of guy we want in our locker room and I look forward to having him back for many more years.”