Jacksonville Jaguars

Blake Bortles eyes $100-million contract

Published Jun. 10, 2015 11:47 a.m. ET

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It's good to have goals.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles only has 14 career games under his belt, but he already has his sights set on one of the benchmarks for a franchise quarterback - mega-bucks contract extension.

Bortles, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014, said he took notice of the five-year, $103.8 million deal Cam Newton agreed to with the Carolina Panthers. 

“$100 million is always exciting,” Bortles said, according to the Florida Times-Union. “Those guys all earn it. They’re great quarterbacks and they get paid what they deserve.”

Bortles said he hopes to join the $100-million club as well, one day.

“That’s the goal," Bortles said. "I try and get better each and every day and why not make a career out of this, not a job? I want to be here long term and do as much as I can to make this team better and have a blast doing it.”

Before he can cash in, Bortles needs to improve upon on his rookie season. Last year, the former Central Florida star threw for 2908 yards with 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. In an effort to take another step in his development, Bortles has focused on refining his throwing mechanics over the offseason. 

“The takeaway was kind of the first thing we wanted to fix,’’ Bortles said. “Kind of shortening up the circle and shortening up the throwing motion and following through and making sure the ball is leaving off your pointer finger and you’re ripping your thumbs down. I was kind of cutting across the ball, throwing it like a baseball sometimes, causing some wobblers. So trying to (get)rid of those as much as possible.”

Bortles said the difference in throwing motion is "day and night" from last year. If it translates into better performances during the season, he'll be on his way to earning that a hefty new contract. 

(h/t Florida Times-Union)

Photo credit: Phil Sears/USA TODAY Sports

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