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Blake Bortles returns to NFL, signed by Packers as backup

Quarterback Blake Bortles looks for a receiver as he is pressured by Colts nose tackle Zach Kerr.

The B.O.A.T will sail in Green Bay.

Former Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has been signed by the Green Bay Packers after the team had to place quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

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Bortles last played in the NFL in 2019 with the Los Angeles Rams. He was the Jaguars’ first-round pick in 2014. He started 73 games for the Jaguars, winning 24. His best season came in 2017 when the Jaguars made the playoffs and advanced to the AFC championship game, only to lose to the Patriots.

According to Mark Long of the Associated Press, Bortles, who lives in Jacksonville, was on the golf course when he got the call from the Packers.

The Packers are scheduled to face the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday in a game that was anticipated to be a showdown between Rodgers and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. Instead, Jordan Love will start for the Packers. He was drafted in 2020 out of Utah State, a move that created a rift between Rodgers and Packers’ management. He has appeared in two games this season, completing five of seven passes.

Under NFL rules, Rodgers will have to sit out at least 10 days because he was unvaccinated, meaning he could miss multiple games for the Packers.