The Philip Rivers era at Los Angele Chargers if officially over. The team and Rivers released a joint statement on Monday in which they announced that the 38-year-old signal-caller’s time with the organization has come to an end.
Rivers will enter the free agency and will be able to sign with a team of his liking, as his contract with the Chargers expires in March.
“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. “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.”
Talking about the timing of the statement, Telesco said this enables both parties “to put themselves in the best position” ahead of the next season.
Rivers, who was the fourth overall pick in 2004, landed with the Chargers after the trade with New York Giants shortly after the draft. Since then, he led the team to six postseason appearances while making eight Pro Bowl appearances. He passed for 59,271 yards and 397 touchdowns over the past 16 years while setting numerous franchise records.
Rivers’ 224 consecutive starts are also second-most by a quarterback in the NFL history.
“I never took for granted the opportunity to lead this team out onto the field for 235 games,” said Rivers. “We had a lot of great moments, beginning in San Diego and then finishing in L.A. I wish my teammates and coaches nothing but the best moving forward. “
Following Philip Rivers’ exit, Chargers will now probably turn to backup Tyrod Taylor unless they can land some of the other big-name free agent QBs like Tom Brady or Teddy Bridgewater. There is also a possibility of them drafting a QB in the upcoming draft.
Rivers, on the other hand, will probably look to land with a franchise that has a talented squad, but struggles with the quarterback position. The teams that come to mind are Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts.
