JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Coming off the strongest season of his career, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has established himself as a leader in the Jacksonville locker room.
The polarizing passer was able to cement his status among his peers during the team's miraculous playoff run last season. Bortles helped lead the team to a 10-6 regular-season record and an eventual trip to the AFC Championship Game in January.
As momentum continued to swing in the Jaguars' favor, Bortles' leadership qualities began to evolve. Working under his mentor, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, Bortles took charge of the Jaguars' offense, setting the tone for the team in practice and in games.
"From what I know of Blake, it's just the one year and for me, it started with his work ethic and the way he kind of attacked his technique [and] some of the things he felt he needed to improve last year," quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich said on Tuesday.
"The better he played, the more we won, [his leadership] became a bit more verbal. [He was] a little more comfortable in that role with more success."
While Bortles was becoming more vocal, his work in practice and in the film room remained the focal point of his leadership approach during the playoff run. Understanding his responsibilities and applying himself during the team's weekly preparation period provided an example for others to follow.
“First of all, his [leadership] steps have always been by example first," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said during his first organized team activities press conference. "He has a very good grip, he works extremely hard at the game."
Bortles' work ethic endeared him to the locker room. The quarterback's teammates saw him grinding every day when it mattered and they admired his resolve and toughness, as he played with an injured throwing wrist that eventually required offseason surgery.
The front office also took notice of Bortles' commitment during the season and rewarded him with a three-year, $54 million contract in February.
His new deal and his production during the team's playoff run established him as the Jaguars' franchise quarterback. Bortles has no room to be content but his current standing is probably as comfortable as it's ever been.
That comfort should factor into Bortles' leadership approach this offseason. He has earned the respect of the majority of his teammates and his newfound success within Hackett's offense should make him an ideal candidate to mentor the team's younger talent.
“I think anytime you get the support of the locker room, that definitely helps when playing quarterback. I felt that I had that all last year," Bortles said following the Jaguars' first OTAs workout.
"The contract stuff doesn’t really change anything about how I think or how I approach every day. I think the biggest difference going into this year is the fact that we are going into year two with [offensive coordinator] Nathaniel [Hackett] and having him calling plays for the second year in a row. I think having that continuity and being out there trying to coach the guys and being able to be there for those guys, rather than this time last year where I was trying to learn right there with them. I would say that is probably the only difference.”
Bortles and his returning teammates now understand what takes to be successful in the NFL. After years of struggling, the Jaguars will spend the summer working to maintain their positive production.
The quarterback will need to help lead that charge this offseason, both verbally and by example. Whether that means speaking up after a poor practice or showing new quarterbacks Cody Kessler and Tanner Lee how to manage a Jaguars workout, Bortles now has the clout to set the tone for his teammates.
“I think it is [about] finding a way to bring the same mindset that we played in those playoff games into practice and OTAs starting today," Bortles said.
"Obviously, there are things that happen in practice. You try things and you do different things and they don’t always go well and if you are going to mess up, you can mess up on the practice field you get that out of the way. I think playing with the same focus and the same intensity that we finished last season with is big. Being able to replicate that day after day will really help not only being better practice players and going through the week better, but making so that Sunday is just another day.”
Bortles altered his playing approach last season under Hackett's guidance. While he saw a drop off in passing yards and touchdowns from the previous two years, he was able to find success by reducing his mistakes. He completed over 60 percent of his passes for the first time in his career and produced the fewest interceptions of his Jaguars tenure.
The next step for Bortles' improvement as a leader will be to find a way to get the most out of his teammates. Most of the top quarterbacks in the league are known for making the players around them better by putting them in positions to succeed.
Bortles believes that improvement will come as the Jaguars' establish chemistry through OTAs, veteran minicamp and training camp this summer.
“I think continuing to work with them, continuing to build that chemistry and rapport and get on the same page," Bortles said.
"It works both ways. You make those guys look good at times and they make you look good at other times by making catches on bad balls and stuff like that. I think continuing to work with them and continuing to help them and answer questions they have and talking through things. They are on top of everything, though.”
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.