Will Philip Rivers be wearing a new jersey this fall?
Recent rumors of a NFL team (or teams) moving back to L.A. has made Philip Rivers hesitant to sign a new contract with the San Diego Chargers. Rivers is reluctant to extend his deal because of the potential of the Chargers becoming the Los Angles Chargers.
“It’s hard to up and recreate that. I know that moves are part of life. But that certainly is fair to say that (not being sold on moving to Los Angeles) is part of it. The good thing is I’m not under contract in a year where we’d potentially be in Los Angeles,” Rivers told U-T San Diego.
But would Rivers really not resign with the Chargers because he hates L.A., or is there something more to the story? Monday night on the NFL Network former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson said Rivers has “lost confidence” in San Diego’s organization. If LT is correct in his assumption, then this is a story that may not go away and could have some impact on Rivers come Draft day.
LT went on to say that “The parts around him keep on moving. The receiving corps keeps on changing; Eddie Royal is now gone. We talked about this before with Vincent Jackson leaving years ago. There are so many parts that are leaving where Philip is looking around that locker room and he doesn’t see anyone he’s familiar with other than Antonio Gates.”
The Chargers have shown in the past that they have no problems moving former starters like LT, Jackson and Drew Brees, so there is a history that suggests trading away a starter still in prime is an option for the team. If Rivers has truly lost faith in the front office, it may be a good idea to move him now and get something for him before it’s too late.
One rumored landing spot for Rivers is with the Titans. Tennessee is close to Rivers’ hometown, and he would get the chance to reunite with Ken Whisenhunt who was the offensive coordinator for San Diego in 2013. The Titans have the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, and recently worked out Marcus Mariota in Eugene, Oregon.
It certainly seems like there is some potential for a trade, but will it happen? The Titans LOVE second-year QB Zach Mettenberger and have even gone so far as to call him “a poor man’s Tom Brady.” If the Titans do trade for Rivers, he may be a starter just for a couple of years while Mettenberger learns how to grow as a NFL quarterback.
Fantasy-wise, a trade to the Titans would hurt Rivers’ value. Justin Hunter, Kendall Wright, Delanie Walker and new free agent Harry Douglas have all been labeled with the “potential breakout year” tag, but none of them ever seem to live up to the hype. The Titans’ offensive line is not that good, and Rivers is not that mobile (slightly better than Mettenberger), so he could take a beating like Mettenberger did last season.
Rivers had a great season last year, and could do well with a change of scenery, but the Titans would not be a great fit as the team has a lot of question marks. Even with all the change in San Diego, they are still a much better team than the Titans. Look for the Chargers to try and move him for the right price, but for fantasy football fans of Rivers, hope it’s not to Tennessee.
Hilton Guidry is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Hilton, check out his archive and follow him @fantasygumbo.
