The Jaguars have signed quarterback Blake Bortles to a contract extension that will keep him in Jacksonville until 2020.
The deal is expected to be for three years and $54 million, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
The quarterback was scheduled to play on the fifth year of his rookie contract. The team picked up the fifth-year option, worth roughly $19 million, last May.
“[Jacksonville] is, no doubt, I think by far the best fitting place for me to be. The things you mentioned, being with those guys, being here, being on a really good football team that has the ability to win right away, and being close to family," Bortles said on a conference call with local reporters Saturday.
"There was a lot of things outside of football that are extremely important to me that I think Jacksonville brings and has that value. This is definitely the place I wanted to be and the place I wanted to find a way to make it work.”
Under first-year head coach Doug Marrone, Bortles produced 3,687 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions this past season. He also completed more than 60 percent of his passes for the first time in his career.
“Blake’s growth and development last season was a key to the success we had as a team,” Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Couglin said in a statement released by the team.
“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.”
The 25-year-old quarterback helped lead the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game in January. His career year allowed for enough optimism that the Jaguars decided to move forward with him as their starting quarterback in a long-term capacity.
"My goal from the start – everyone dreams of making $100 million dollars or the quarterbacks are expected to sign the big deal and that was never something that was very important to me," Bortles said.
"Signing this second deal with the team that drafted me was my goal from the beginning. It has been done, and I am excited and thrilled and proud of myself for being able to do that. There is obviously a lot of work and things that need to go on.”
Veteran Chad Henne is set to become a free agent on March 14. While Henne has been valuable as a mentor to Bortles, the younger quarterback has actually started more games than his incumbent No. 2.
The Jaguars could look to draft a developmental backup quarterback in April. The Jaguars own seven draft picks in this year's selection process.
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.