Los Angeles Chargers Free Agency Notes: WR Brandon Marshall could be a fit
By Travis Wakeman
The Los Angeles Chargers may be in the market for a top wide receiver this offseason, whether it be through free agency or the draft. Now, there might be a prime target available.
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall has requested his release from the New York Jets and the team has obliged, apparently on a cleaning spree after releasing Nick Mangold and Darrelle Revis earlier in the week.
Could Marshall land in Los Angeles? Well, why not?
Marshall is a big, physical target that doesn’t just look big, he plays like a big receiver. He knows how to use his body to get position and he’s just one year removed from a career year in which he caught 109 passes for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns.
His detractors will be quick to point out his quiet 2016 season, in which he caught just 59 passes and found the end zone just three times. But how much of that is on the Jets’ quarterback issues?
Marshall has played for four NFL teams and will turn 33 years old in a few weeks, but Los Angeles would be a place for him to rejuvenate his career. Philip Rivers would be the best quarterback he’s played with, by far. He could lend his knowledge to a guy like Tyrell Williams and help to make a lethal combination with a healthy Keenan Allen.
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Rivers would love playing with this guy too. Both men are fierce competitors who are hungry for success. Marshall has never been in a postseason game, for instance. You can just envision how well the two veterans would work together.
Marshall is far from done. He’s far from being washed up. In 11 professional seasons, he’s caught over 100 passes in six of them. The guy just makes too many plays for a team like the Chargers —that may not be far off from contending—to take a look.
If you bring in Marshall on a team-friendly deal, now you can focus elsewhere in the draft. Sure, a guy like Mike Williams would be a solid draft choice, but I feel giving Rivers a trusted veteran target is the better route to take. Marshall will likely have several potential suitors, but the Chargers should at least be at the negotiation table.
If I’m Rivers, I’m on the phone with Tom Telesco pleading my case.