Rumored as a Colts fit for multiple reasons, Philip Rivers does appear to be on Indianapolis’ radar. The team has interest in the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
Rivers remains close to ex-Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich and former Bolts quarterbacks coach Nick Sirianni. Those two now serve as the Colts’ HC-OC tandem. Many around the league expect Rivers to end up with the Colts, Rapoport adds.
GM Chris Ballard said at the 2019 season’s conclusion Jacoby Brissett‘s future as the team’s starter is uncertain. Jim Irsay added that all options are on the table for the team, which lost franchise centerpiece Andrew Luck to a surprising retirement last August. The Colts signed Brissett to a two-year, $30MM extension. He is on Indianapolis’ books at $21MM and would cost the Colts $12.5MM in dead money to release him.
The Chargers announced they will not re-sign Rivers, who is coming off his worst season in at least seven years. The 38-year-old quarterback has said he wants to return for a 17th season, adding that he’s set a two-year window and would not make sense on a rebuilding team. While the Colts struggled last season, they voyaged to the AFC’s divisional round in 2018 with Luck.
Rivers sits sixth on the NFL’s all-time passing yards and touchdowns lists and finished seventh in QBR in 2018, when the Chargers went 12-4. For the most part, he played the past three seasons without a home-field advantage. The Colts also have a far superior offensive line compared to the Bolts, and it’s looking like free agent left tackle Anthony Castonzo is headed back to Indianapolis. The Colts could use help at wide receiver, but this situation would have some selling points for Rivers. Indianapolis’ $86MM-plus in cap space sits second in the league.
For what it’s worth, JameisWinston underwent LASIK surgery to repair his vision, reports Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com. The quarterback was previously nearsighted, and it was “always a lingering question” if that was impacting Winston’s performance. Stroud cautions that it’s uncertain whether this surgery was requested by the Buccaneers.
“Jameis did not want to count out any options that he had that could possibly help him with the game he loves so much,” said Denise White, Winston’s spokesperson. “He doesn’t want to miss out on any opportunity that presents itself. This is the game he loves and he wants to be the best at it and if there are any options that can improve his game he is willing to do it.”
While Winston set career-highs in passing yards (5,109) and touchdowns (33) in 2019, he also set a career-high (and led the NFL) with 30 interceptions. The former top-overall pick is set to hit free agency this offseason.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…
The Chargers announced earlier this week that they wouldn’t be bringing back franchise quarterback PhilipRivers. After the signal-caller spent 16 years with the organization, GM TomTelesco made it clear that he wanted the breakup to be as clean as possible. “Once we saw the way this was heading, it was in the forefront of my mind,” Telesco told SI’s Albert Breer. “I mean, he’s an icon for the organization and he’s done so much here. I wanted to make sure everything was done as respectfully and classy as possible. This can be a very difficult business for all of us to be in—head coaches, GMs, players. That was the thought in my mind.” The 38-year-old Rivers has already insinuated that he won’t be retiring.
Speaking of Rivers, Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star suggests that the veteran could be a target for the Colts. For such a signing to take place, the writer opines that the front office would have to believe that Rivers is an upgrade over incumbent JacobyBrissett. On the flip side, Ayello believes the signing wouldn’t clash with the sentiment that Indy needs to draft a young QB, as the player could realistically sit behind Rivers for the next two seasons.
The Rams announced today that they’ve hired ToryWoodbury as an assistant special teams coach (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry on Twitter). Woodbury has been with the organization for the past three seasons, including the last two in their scouting department.
February 12th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by Marc Delucchi
As teams gear up for an offseason of roster maneuvering, teams are beginning to the arduous process of lining up their salary caps to retain key players on expiring contracts, sign free agents, and their draft picks. Teams are forced to make especially difficult salary-cap decisions when they have a chance at an elite player through free agency.
While many of the top players currently set for free agency will surely sign an extension with their current team or receive either the franchise or transition tag, it is always a fun exercise to examine who is currently the best player set to be available through unrestricted free agency.
It’s no secret that this year’s offseason will be dominated by quarterback storylines. Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, and Teddy Bridgewater are all set to be unrestricted free agents and had success as starters last season. Yet, none of them have the pedigree of future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Tom Brady, the combination of youth and sustained success like Dak Prescott, or match the recent performance of Ryan Tannehill.
Brady has obviously asserted himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time over his Patriots career, but he will be 43 before the start of next season and looked abnormally average at the close of this season. New England finished the season with back-to-back losses to finish out the regular season (against the 5-11 Dolphins) and in the first round of the playoffs (at home against the Titans).
Brady played a role in both losses, completing just 36 of his 66 attempts (good for a 54.5% completion percentage) for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. At the same time, Brady amassed over 4,000 passing yards for the third consecutive season and produced his best touchdown-to-interception ratio (24 to 8) since 2017.
Brees is in a similar boat. He’ll be 41 next season, but just led the league in completion percentage for the third consecutive season and posted the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career. With that said, the Saints did not look much different in the 5 games Brees missed early in the season with backup Teddy Bridgewater in his place.
Prescott has been surrounded by the hoopla of quarterbacking America’s Team, but the Cowboys signal-caller has taken consistent strides under the bright lights. At just 26 last season, Prescott fell just 98 yards shy of reaching the 5000-yard mark. He set a career-high with 30 touchdown throws and even while throwing a career-high 596 attempts, was sacked a career-low 23 times.
Of course, unlike Brees and Brady, Prescott has yet to reach the historic status they both already have. In fact, Prescott has yet to play in a conference championship game. Furthermore, his career year this season came while Dallas struggled to an 8-8 record in a wide-open NFC East. Does he deserve credit for performing despite a difficult surrounding, or was he responsible for the team’s struggles?
Finally, one of the most interesting stories of the season surrounded the quarterback position in Tennessee. Many around the league scoffed when the Titans benched Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. It seemed like they were just replacing one disappointing quarterback with another. However, the once highly regarded prospect led the Titans to a 7-3 surge to close the regular season, upset the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs, and almost upset the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Tannehill threw for 2742 yards in just 10 regular season starts, throwing 22 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. He led the league in yards per attempt (9.6) and quarterback rating (117.5) while helping young wideout A.J. Brown emerge as one of the best receivers in football. However, it’s fair to wonder how much of Tannehill’s success was a side-effect of a fantastic run game (led by Derrick Henry) and his receivers (like Brown). With the shortest resume of the group, Tannehill surely represents the largest risk but may have one of the highest rewards.
With all that said, what do you think? Who is the best unrestricted free agent quarterback this offseason? Submit your answer in the poll below and voice in your opinion in the comments.
One of the highest-profile quarterbacks to ever hit the free agent market will indeed survey his options. The Chargers and Philip Rivers are going their separate ways, and Rivers wants to continue his career. The 38-year-old passer is not considering retirement. However, he now has a retirement window in mind.
“I can say for certain that if I’m playing, it’s a two-year maximum,” Rivers said, via Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. “Whoever the suitors are, I think that would be their hope as well. Because you never know how it goes. Shoot, if we stink it up after one year, I’m probably done. If we play really good, they’ll probably want to go again.”
Rivers said last season he was open to playing elsewhere but was believed to be weighing retirement recently. But it looks like teams will have Rivers to consider this offseason, which may feature an unusual amount of quarterback movement.
The eight-time Pro Bowler did not play well last season, regressing considerably from a strong 2018 performance that ended with the Chargers winning 12 games and reaching the divisional round. But Rivers’ 2019 work nearly got him benched for Tyrod Taylor in December. But Bolts GM Tom Telesco said the veteran was still capable of playing at a high level after the season; another team will have the chance to find out.
Rivers has started 224 straight games — second-most in NFL history by a quarterback — since taking over for Drew Brees in San Diego 14 years ago. A few teams figure to be interested in allowing him to extend that streak. The Buccaneers have been mentioned as a possible Rivers destination. He has since moved his family to north Florida. Rivers worked with Colts staffers Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni while with the Chargers and remains close to both coaches, per Albert Breer of SI.com. While Breer adds the Titans to the prospective suitor list, Rivers would prefer he land with a Super Bowl contender.
“Certainly you want a chance to win a championship, but it’s not just about that,” Rivers said, via Farmer. “If you told me right now, ‘You’re going to play for two years, and you’re going to be good. But y’all will not win a Super Bowl. Will you still play?’ Heck yeah, I’ll still play.”
“So it’s not like it’s a Super Bowl or nothing. But if it’s a team where it’s going to be tough sledding and they’re two years away from even having a chance, and they led the league in most sacks given up or something, then it’s, ‘I don’t think so, guys.’”
February 10th, 2020 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links
On Monday, the Chargers announced that they will not bring back Philip Rivers for the 2020 season. With that, Rivers will move on to free agency where he’ll seek another team for his 17th year a a pro.
“After stepping back a bit from last season, we reconnected with Philip and his representatives to look at how 2019 played out, assess our future goals, evaluate the current state of the roster and see if there was a path forward that made sense for both parties,” said General Manager Tom Telesco in a press release. “As we talked through various scenarios, it became apparent that it would be best for Philip and the Chargers to turn the page on what has truly been a remarkable run.”
Rivers will leave the club after setting more than 30 franchise records and 224 consecutive starts. For his part, the eight-time Pro Bowler says there are no hard feelings as he leaves the only NFL franchise he’s ever known.
“I am very grateful to the Spanos family and the Chargers organization for the last 16 years,” said Rivers. “In anything you do, it’s the people you do it with that make it special. There are so many relationships and memories with coaches, support staff and teammates that will last forever, and for that I am so thankful. I never took for granted the opportunity to lead this team out on to the field for 235 games. We had a lot of great moments, beginning in San Diego and then finishing in LA. I wish my teammates and coaches nothing but the best moving forward.”
Many of Rivers’ career numbers also stand as league-wide benchmarks. With 123 career wins in the regular season, he’s ninth among QBs on the all-time list, ahead of names like Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana. He’s also one of just six quarterbacks to have thrown for more than 58,000 passing yards.
But, in the NFL, you’re only as good as your last season, and executives are always thinking one, two, and three years ahead. Rivers’ 2019 season was marred by turnovers – he was picked off 20 times and his 23 touchdowns weren’t nearly enough to erase those INTs. Historically, though, Rivers has been strong in that department. In 2018, for example, he lobbed 32 TDs against just 12 interceptions.
Rivers will join a potentially crowded field of free agent quarterbacks in March. Tom Brady, Ryan Tannehill, and Teddy Bridgewater are just some of the other names that could be available for teams in need. The Chargers could consider those options alongside this year’s crop of quarterback prospects in the draft, or turn the starting job over to backup Tyrod Taylor. Meanwhile, with Rivers out of the picture, they may use the franchise tag to hang on to tight end Hunter Henry.
February 2nd, 2020 at 8:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
Philip Rivers‘ future is very much up in the air. There have been indications that Rivers could be headed for a split with the Chargers, although that certainly isn’t definite. To that end, Los Angeles hasn’t “firmly decided” what they’re going to do with Rivers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter video link).
Rapoport reports that the Chargers are still mulling using their franchise tag on Rivers. If they do decide to move on, Rapoport says not to be surprised if the Colts emerge as a landing spot. Rivers has plenty of connections to Indy, as head coach Frank Reich used to be his offensive coordinator in San Diego and he also played under Colts OC Nick Sirianni. We’ve also heard that Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers could be interested in Rivers’ services.
Interestingly, Rapoport says that retirement is still an option for Rivers if his market isn’t too hot, which is new. Rivers said immediately after the season ended that he had no plans to retire. Rapoport’s NFL Network colleague Mike Garafolo said in the same clip that he had also heard retirement is still on the table.
Rivers had a down 2019 due to a lot of turnovers, but the year before he was one of the best passers in the league. He led the Chargers to a 12-4 record that year while tossing 32 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions, averaging a robust 8.5 yards per attempt.
Many have assumed that the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers would part ways in the coming months, thereby ending a 16-year partnership. But as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports, all options remain on the table (video link).
Per Rapoport, Chargers coaches have recently returned to the team facility, and they will sit down with GM Tom Telesco to determine how they want to move forward. Of course, the Bolts could simply make no effort to re-sign Rivers and instead opt to roll with Tyrod Taylor, a rookie signal-caller, or a free agent/trade acquisition (like Tom Brady).
But Rapoport says the Chargers are considering putting the franchise tag on Rivers, which would secure his services for one more season while Los Angeles grooms a young QB behind him (we recently heard that the team is high on Utah State’s Jordan Love). The franchise tag checks in just shy of $27MM, which is more than Rivers is likely to fetch on the open market.
Of course, the Chargers could also see how free agency shakes out and perhaps sign Rivers to a new contract after free agency opens if they cannot acquire an upgrade. But if they do bring back Rivers via the tag or a new deal, they probably shouldn’t bank on a vintage Rivers performance. The 38-year-old showed his age in 2019, throwing 20 interceptions and fumbling the ball eight times.
For his part, Rivers may not even want to return to the only team he has ever known. He has permanently moved from San Diego to Florida, and there is a lot of buzz connecting him to the Buccaneers.
January 20th, 2020 at 3:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
Yesterday we heard word that Philip Rivers was moving his family from the San Diego area to Florida, another indication he’s headed for a split with the Chargers. Rivers has said he isn’t retiring, so he’ll be suiting up somewhere next season even if he isn’t in Los Angeles.
There has been some speculation that Rivers could end up with the Colts, as he used to play under Indy head coach Frank Reich with the Chargers. There are a number of teams that could be interested in a veteran quarterback this offseason though, including the Buccaneers if they opt not to retain Jameis Winston. To that end, Jason La Canfora tweets that he’s “hearing a lot of buzz” about Tampa as a potential landing spot for Rivers.
La Canfora was one of the first to report back in November that a divorce from the Chargers might be in the cards. If Rivers does end up signing with the Bucs, he’ll be paired with the most accomplished offensive coach of his career in Bruce Arians. When Arians was with the Cardinals he brought in an aging Carson Palmer and rejuvenated his career, so there’s an obvious parallel there.
Rivers had a down 2019 due to a lot of turnovers, but the Chargers’ passing game was still very efficient yardage-wise, and in 2018 he was one of the best passers in the league. He led the Chargers to a 12-4 record that year while tossing 32 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions, averaging a robust 8.5 yards per attempt. Of course, all of this is predicated on the Bucs moving on from Winston, which is still very much up in the air.
It’s been hard to get a read on how they feel about Winston, and the last we heard was that members of the front office were split on bringing him back and that there hadn’t been any contract discussions between the two sides. With all of the high-profile signal-callers set to become free agents, this is shaping up to be the most interesting quarterback carousel in years.
Chargers star quarterback Philip Rivers has moved “permanently” from San Diego to Florida, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com hear. It’s yet another signal that the Bolts and their longtime QB could be moving in separate directions this offseason.
“What this means football-wise is to be determined but it was time for us to move back closer to home,” Rivers said in a text message.
After the Chargers’ season finale, Rivers confirmed that he wants to continue playing. The 38-year-old also acknowledged that he might have played his final game with the only franchise he’s ever known.
Rivers threw for 4,615 yards in 2019 with just 23 touchdowns, his lowest total since 2007. Meanwhile, he threw 20 interceptions as the Chargers went 5-11.
Over the years, Rivers has tallied eight Pro Bowl selections and nearly 400 touchdowns through the air.
Philip Rivers‘ disappointing season has led to speculation the Chargers will seek an upgrade in free agency or the draft. But GM Tom Telesco said (via Daniel Popper of The Athletic, on Twitter) this week he still believes the 38-year-old quarterback can compete at a “top-starter level.” Rivers has bounced back from down seasons before, even winning 2013’s comeback player of the year award after merely coming back from a rough 2012 slate. But the free agent-to-be is much closer to the end of his career and has acknowledged Week 17 may have been his final Bolts game. The Chargers aim to get the Rivers situation sorted out before the 2020 league year begins March 18, Telesco adds (Twitter link). Tyrod Taylor is still under contract, and while Telesco called the ex-Bills starter a capable first-stringer (Twitter link via ESPN’s Eric Williams), promoting the 30-year-old veteran would not be viewed as an upgrade.
Here is the latest from the quarterback landscape:
A franchise tag may be in the cards for Ryan Tannehill, but the Titans are convinced his change-of-scenery breakout is legit. The Titans believe the 31-year-old passer is a “huge part of their future” and want to sign him to a long-term extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link). The prospect of a Tannehill re-up initially surfaced in late November, and the sides have begun negotiations. It would cost Tennessee approximately $27MM to use its franchise tag on Tannehill. With Derrick Henry and right tackle Jack Conklin also up for free agency, it would behoove the Titans to have Tannehill locked down before the March 10 deadline. Of course, Tannehill’s Dolphins history makes such a commitment risky.
The Jaguars will not commit to Gardner Minshew as their clear-cut starter going into the offseason. Doug Marrone said Minshew and Nick Foles will compete for the job, per John Reid of the Florida Times-Union. The Jags gave Foles $50MM guaranteed in 2018; his 2020 salary is fully guaranteed.
Jameis Winston may have been playing through a more significant thumb injury than initially believed. The Buccaneers quarterback is now wearing a cast, per Rapoport (on Twitter). Winston threw his usual variety of interceptions before the thumb injury surfaced but tossed four in Week 16 against the Texans after being on the Bucs’ injury report with the malady. The soon-to-be 26-year-old passer will be a free agent in March.
Rivers remains close to ex-Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich and former Bolts quarterbacks coach Nick Sirianni. Those two now serve as the Colts’ HC-OC tandem. Many around the league expect Rivers to end up with the Colts, Rapoport adds.
