JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Jaguars' quarterback Blake Bortles underwent surgery Friday on his right wrist, the team confirmed Tuesday.
ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter first reported it Monday night.
"Bortles dealt with the issue since December 2016. The Jaguars elected to avoid surgery last offseason, but knew it was needed now," Schefter tweeted.
NFL teams are required to list the status of all injured players beginning on Wednesday. Bortles was included on the report for most of the season as "probable" with what was called a "right wrist injury."
When asked during the season, Bortles downplayed the injury in his throwing wrist. He did not miss playing time during the regular season or during the Jaguars' playoff run.
The injury also didn't stop Bortles from completing a career-high 60.2 percent of his passes for nearly 3,700 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2017.
"I would expect this an injury that he's known about forever, but is able to play through it," said Dr. Christopher Goll, an orthopedic hand surgeon with Southeast Orthopedic Specialists.
Goll said for quarterbacks, a wrist injury is usually not from the repetitive throwing motion, but from landing on it, hitting it on something or someone else landing on it.
"Now that the season is finished, it makes sense to go in and see what can be fixed," Goll said. "Some of the most common injuries in the wrist involve small pieces of cartilage. They can get little tears in them."
But the surgery could have a big impact on Bortles' status with the team next season. It will all depend on his recovery time.
RELATED: Jaguars face 3 choices with Bortles
Bortles has to be able to pass a physical by 4 p.m. March 14. If he doesn't, the $19 million fifth-year option in Bortles' rookie contact that the team picked up last offseason becomes fully guaranteed.
Goll said the recovery timeline will depend on how extensive the surgery was.
"Whenever we work on putting the bone back to bone, those healing times can be shorter than people realize -- sometimes four to six weeks if you've got strong structural repair bones," he said. "Ligament repairs, though, can take longer, and it wouldn't be surprising if the ligament was completely torn and sewn back together. That repair, including rehab time, could be three to six months."
Regardless of whether it was cartilage or ligament issue, Goll said, Bortles may always have some lingering symptoms from the injury, but nothing that would be a major impact to his playing going forward.