Blake Bortles Announces Retirement Decision

Blake Bortles' days playing football are officially over.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback and first round pick has decided he's played enough, and has called it a career.

"I have not touched a football since January. I have officially retired," Bortles said during an appearance on "Pardon My Take."

Bortles entered the league as the third overall pick in the 2014 draft. During his time with the Jaguars, he threw for 17,646 yards and 103 touchdowns. He also ran for 1,775 yards and eight touchdowns during his time with the franchise. The highlight of his time with the Jaguars was when the team came within a game of making the Super Bowl during the 2017-18 season.

Eventually, the Jaguars decided to go in a different direction, and Bortles had been bouncing around the league ever since the end of the 2018 season.

His last snaps in a regular season game came in 2019 when he played for the Rams. He also spent some time with the Packers and Saints over the past couple years.

Despite the fact he never lived up to the hype of being the third overall pick, Blake Bortles did very well for himself.

He earned nearly $50 million playing on Sundays, and turned into a fan favorite, especially online.

Now, he can take his money, ride off into the sunset and enjoy being retired at the young age of 30. Not a bad life to be living at all.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.