After being the subject of several trade rumors earlier in the offseason, quarterback Philip Rivers reported to Chargers camp this week, and looks poised to continue his career with the team in 2015 and beyond. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Rivers is “hopeful” of signing an extension with San Diego within the next couple weeks.
While Rivers declined to discuss specific details of his contract talks with the Chargers, Cole hears from sources that the veteran quarterback’s next contract figures to exceed $20MM per year. That would be a significant bump for Rivers, whose current deal paid him $15.3MM annually, but it wouldn’t be a surprise. Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, and now Russell Wilson have all signed contracts this offseason that exceed $20.75MM per year, and I’d expect Rivers’ next deal to be in the same ballpark.
Despite Rivers’ optimism about the chances of a deal getting done within the next couple weeks, the Chargers signal-caller also isn’t averse to playing out the 2015 season on his current deal, says Cole. According to the Bleacher Report scribe, Rivers will likely shut down extension discussions in a few weeks if the two sides still haven’t reached an agreement, since he wants to focus exclusively on football during the season.
Rivers, 33, is coming off a 2014 season in which he threw for 4,286 yards, 31 touchdowns, and a league-high 18 interceptions. The five-time Pro Bowler led San Diego to a 9-7 record, narrowly missing the postseason, despite the fact that the team was missing several key players due to injuries, and Rivers himself was banged up for much of the year.