Getty Tom Brady & Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers’ reign over the Los Angeles Chargers (formerly San Diego Chargers) offense appears to have come to an end after 16 total seasons, 14 of which he served as the team’s starter.
Per Fox’s Jay Glazer, the Bolts have “moved on” from Rivers. This coming on the heels of Rivers and his wife Tiffany “permanently” moving their family of nine kids cross country to Florida earlier this month.
With all signs pointing towards a new era for the Chargers, we examine the most likely and most intriguing signal-callers to take the place of Rivers under center heading into the 2020 NFL season.
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Chargers’ Top-5 Replacements for Philip Rivers
5) Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Taylor served as Philip Rivers’ backup in 2019 and is under contract through 2020. The former Virginia Tech standout has bounced around the league in recent years, and while he may not be an upper-echelon quarterback in the NFL, he’s proven to be a quality place-holder at the position. With the right pieces around him, Taylor could help Los Angeles bid for a wild-card spot. Taylor has started 46 games over his career, winning exactly half of them.
4) Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Tannehill rejuvenated his once-dwindling career in Tennessee this season. While the chances of the Titans letting their quarterback hit the open market are bleak, if he does, suitors will be lining up for his services. In Tannehill’s 10 starts for the Titans during the regular season, the offense averaged 30+ points. The Chargers scored more than 30-points just once after Week 4 of this past season.
3) Justin Herbert
Herbert is arguably the most intriguing name on this list. His upside could make him the best quarterback prospect to come out of the 2020 NFL draft. He is also likely the top draft-eligible QB prospect to be available when the Bolts are on the clock, picking sixth-overall this late April. Herbert shined during Senior Bowl week, culminating in the Senior Bowl MVP award. His natural talents are through the roof, and as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have shown in recent years, that is enough to win you games in the current NFL while still developing into an elite starting quarterback.
2) Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins select one pick prior to the Chargers in this year’s draft. This meaning that if Los Angeles wants Tua, they’ll likely have to move up to guarantee his services. However, the match seems ideal on paper. The one hiccup would be the fact that on a fairly talented roster, their offensive line is likely their weakest unit. However, with Tyrod Taylor still in town, Tua would be able to sit behind the veteran while working himself back to full-strength. In the meantime, Los Angeles can try to put in to place the pieces around the quarterback, allowing Tua to hit the ground running once ready to take the torch as the Chargers’ new face of the franchise.
1) Tom Brady
I won’t believe that Tom Brady won’t be wearing a Patriots jersey next season until I actually see it. However, if he does move on, the Chargers seem to be the odds on favorites to land the shoo-in Hall of Famer. Brady is a California native, who owns a home just outside of Los Angeles, and would give the Chargers the immediate star power needed to drive ticket sales up as they are set to move into their new stadium this coming season. Plus, the roster seams nearly picture-perfect for Brady’s skillset. Keenan Allen is one of the league’s top receivers in general, and one who does the majority of his damage from the slot. Hunter Henry would be Brady’s top tight end talent to come his way since Rob Gronkowski, and Austin Ekeler would work seamlessly in the James White, Danny Woodhead role that Brady has leaned so heavily on in recent years.
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