Ex-Jaguars QB Blake Bortles has triumphant message after $47 million reminder - “S*ck it, nerds!”
Blake Bortles spent seven years in the NFL prior to his retirement, mostly with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was a first-round draft pick by the organization and once helped them reach the AFC Conference championship game.
He then spent time as a backup quarterback for several different teams before officially retiring during the 2022 NFL season, despite being just 31 years old.
The former quarterback appeared on an episode of the Barstool Sports podcast "Pardon My Take" to discuss several topics surrounding his retirement. One of the things he was asked about by the host, Big Cat, is if he knows how much money he made during his career.
Bortles responded:
"No, I mean, I know like contractually what I made, but I didn't get like the back half of my second contract here, and then taxes."
Big Cat then informed Bortles that he reportedly made $47 million during his NFL career, to which the quarterback had an epic response:
"Sounds right man, that's awesome. Yeah dude. I'm just good enough to steal some money ... Yeah that's right. S*ck it nerds!"
Bortles seems to have a good sense of humor about his career. He ultimately failed to live up to the hype that came along with the Jaguars investing such a high pick on him in the NFL draft. He doesn't seem to mind too much about his relative failure and it appears his nearly $50 million in career earnings are one of the main reasons why.
Why did Blake Bortles retire?
Blake Bortles officially announced his retirement during the 2022 NFL season while serving as a backup quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams. He did so unconventionally as he explained:
"I have not touched a football since January. I quietly, I didn’t tell anybody, I retired. I guess you guys are kind of the first to hear it publicly."
He went on to explain that he was satisfied with what he accomplished as a starter and didn't feel the need to continue any longer as a backup. Bortles instead wanted to embrace the opportunity to get more quality time with his family.
"I have two little kids, so that takes up 90% of the time, and then the other 10% I probably play golf."
He apparently now spends most of his new free time with his two children, while also pursuing many of his other interests off the field.
What is Blake Bortles doing now?
Bortles also added during his appearance that he hopes to one day qualify for the Senior Golf Tour. He jokingly explained that he needs to be 50 years old first, so he's fortunate to have almost another 20 years to prepare for that.
At just 31 years old, he has plenty of options for the rest of his life.