Getty KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 29: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers ran off the field following the 31-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Chargers appear to be in the market for a new quarterback.
During an appearance on “The Herd” radio show on Monday afternoon, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported the Chargers have “moved on” from veteran passer Philip Rivers after he spent the past 14 seasons as their starting quarterback and 16 seasons total with the franchise. If the team confirms the decision, it would leave Rivers with an uncertain future as a 38-year-old free agent.
ESPN recently reported Rivers had moved “permanently” from his home in San Diego — where the franchise was previously based — to Florida in order to be closer to his family, adding to speculation that Rivers would be looking for a new team in 2020.
Rivers has produced some high-level passing numbers during his career, but it has never translated into much success for the Chargers. For example, he completed 390 passes for 4,615 yards and 23 touchdowns during the 2019 season, but he was also picked off 20 times and had some crippling errors in judgment in several games that contributed to his team skidding to a 5-11 finish.
Rivers also won just five of his 11 postseason appearances for the Chargers with three of them coming in his first five seasons in the league. His most recent playoff win came in last year’s wild-card round against Baltimore, though he threw no touchdowns and finished with just 160 passing yards.
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Will Rivers Find a New Team for 2020?
Doubts about Rivers’ future haven’t been contained only to his career with the Chargers. Some are even questioning whether the aging quarterback will play at all next season.
To his credit, Rivers hasn’t missed a single game since he took over as the Chargers’ starter in 2006 and has thrown for more than 4,200 yards in seven consecutive seasons. At the same time, he has only managed to limit his interceptions to single digits in two seasons as a starter while touching the 20-or-more mark three times.
Other teams are certainly aware of the concerns that saw to Rivers’ exit from the Chargers, and that could be a present a problem for his pursuit of a Super Bowl ring. Most of the bad teams will invest in a young option through this year’s NFL draft, while better free-market options — Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Dak Prescott, Teddy Bridgewater — complicate his chances of landing with a contender.
“His quarterback clock is ticking like mad,” San Diego Union-Tribute columnist Nick Canepa wrote in a piece published on Saturday. “He needs a Super Bowl. It’s almost impossible to see where he’s going to find one — as a starter.”
There are a few potential fits that could see Rivers finish his career with a bang, whether it be in New England to fill Brady’s potential void or in Tennessee with the might of running back Derrick Henry to lean on after a surprising run to this year’s AFC Championship game. He also might be able to do some damage with the Carolina Panthers or Indianapolis Colts, depending on how each of them handles their respective quarterback situations moving forward.
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