Blake Bortles vs. Nick Foles: Who was the bigger mistake?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are likely going to backup quarterback Gardner Minshew for the rest of the season after benching Nick Foles and his $88 million contract. It was a poor decision to sign Foles, made to look even worse by the fact that he was being outplayed by a sixth round rookie in Minshew.

But it’s not the only bad decision this front office has made in terms of the quarterback position. Granted, it was Tom Coughlin’s decision to draft Bortles, but it was (technically) this current front office as we know it headed by Dave Caldwell who pulled the trigger. And the $22.5 million extension they handed him prior to the 2018 season was... well, it sunk this franchise.

So today, being inspired by Brent Martineau and Austen Lane of ESPN 690, we ask — which was the worst quarterback decision?

The case for Blake Bortles

Put simply, Bortles moved this franchise back a near decade. Despite being a top-five pick in 2014, Bortles never looked like a good quarterback. He flashed, but his penchant for turnovers and poor decision-making made for the most inconsistent stretch of play the Jaguars have ever had at the quarterback position.

Also, by sticking with Bortles out of pride for keeping “their guy” under center, they passed on All-Pro caliber talent at the quarterback position multiple times. Deshaun Watson, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson were all available, but the front office wanted Bortles to succeed so they could be hailed as the true geniuses — so now we’re stuck with Foles.

The case for Nick Foles

It’s the worst contract in franchise history. It has to be. Foles signed an $88 million contract back in March (with over $50 million in guaranteed money) and what does the team have to show for it?

An 0-4 record out of Foles and only 2.5 quarters of play in front of the home crowd.

With Minshew clearly better, it looks as though Foles’ tenure in Jacksonville will end with just two full games played, 736 passing yards, three touchdowns, and four turnovers. He averaged $427,350 per pass attempt if he sits the rest of the year.

Good grief.

Summary

Both Bortles and Foles were horrific decisions, but which was worse? Vote below and let us know in the comments!