Blake Bortles undergoes surgery to repair right wrist tear

Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles underwent right wrist surgery last week, according to a report from ESPN.

The surgery was to correct a condition that kept Bortles on the injury report all season last year. According to the ESPN report, Bortles had been dealing with the injury as far back as late two seasons ago, but the Jaguars opted to avoid surgery last off-season in favour of alternative treatments.

Despite the injury, Bortles is coming off one of the better seasons of his young career, finishing with 3,687 passing yards and 21 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, but the Jaguars could still look to upgrade at the position this off-season.

The Jaguars picked up Bortles' $19 million option last May, with GM Dave Caldwell supporting such a decision by pointing out it would be an average salary for a starting quarterback in 2018.

If Bortles is on the roster on the first day of the new league year, his option becomes fully guaranteed. The option is also fully guaranteed for injury, making the possibility of Jacksonville cutting the quarterback for cap relief in pursuit of a signal-caller that much more complicated.

Bortles posted a season in line with the majority of his career: 315-of-523 passing, 3,687 yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also rushed 57 times for 322 yards and two touchdowns, and used those legs to earn much-needed yards in a 10-3 wild-card win over Buffalo.

Jacksonville might already be set on another season of Bortles, a prove-it campaign for the quarterback and an important one for the future of the promising franchise. He'll have a healthy wrist for the journey, which is more than he could say in 2017.

While Bortles is big, strong and young at just 25 years of age, he is an injury risk based solely on the number of times he gets hit behind a suspect offensive line.

Bortles' long-term future in Jacksonville was already up in the air despite the team's run to the AFC Championship Game. His surgery could add even more doubt as to whether the Jaguars feel comfortable with him as the starting quarterback in 2018.