We’re still several weeks away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. Earlier this month, we launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.
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Today, we’ll be discussing Philip Rivers and his contract status. Monday night, we learned that the Bolts hope to have a new deal in place with their starting quarterback before the start of training camp. It wasn’t long ago that Rivers’ future beyond 2015 was highly in question. In fact, there were rumblings that he would be wearing a different uniform this spring. Outside of perhaps Adrian Peterson, no veteran Pro Bowler was mentioned more as a potential trade candidate in April as Rivers.
Ultimately, Rivers was not dealt for Marcus Mariota or anyone else. The signal caller is set to make a total of $17.42MM in his walk year and the Bolts seem hopeful that they’ll get a new deal done, despite Rivers’ reported reservations about playing in Los Angeles. It’s fair to wonder, however, if the two sides will see eye-to-eye on his value. Rivers started all 16 games for the Chargers last season and threw for 4,286 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. In 2014, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Rivers as the seventh-best quarterback in the league last season, putting him ahead of Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, and Peyton Manning. Still, Rivers is 33-year-old and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll continue playing at that level.
When all is said and done, do you expect the Chargers and Rivers to reach agreement on a new deal? Let us know what you think in the comments.
I do think the two sides will ultimately agree to a deal. I expect the Chargers to be pretty good again in 2015, which means they’ll picking in the latter half of the first round, which means they won’t be able to target a top QB, so Rivers is their best option going forward.
Or maybe we’ll see Eli head to San Diego and Rivers go to New York, reversing that trade from a decade ago. A man can dream.