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Chargers: Philip Rivers, Tom Brady, Joe Burrow? Evaluating 2020 quarterback options

By Alexander Insdorf

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 21: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots heads out of the tunnel before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 21, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 21: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots heads out of the tunnel before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 21, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots warms up prior to their game against the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium on October 27, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots warms up prior to their game against the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium on October 27, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /

Chargers 2020 quarterback: Tom Brady

Before the pitchforks come out, let me explain how this came to be. Rumblings have been brewing for a while now, with Brady and his trainer both selling their Boston homes. Brady also set his contract to void after this season, being able to retire immediately after the season or play for another team.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has connected the dots. He’s been ramping up his reporting on the subject within the past few weeks on a potential Brady departure. Everyone already knows he’s a California guy and owns tons of property there. In addition to Schefter’s report, NFL reporter Jason La Canfora is hearing specific enough rumors linking him to the Chargers.

Ultimately, we don’t know what Brady will do after the 2019 season. But as mentioned earlier, this is the last season of Rivers’ contract, and it’s not impossible to think about a replacement. Regardless of what you think of Brady, he is the NFL’s LeBron James, a star that carries fans wherever he goes. That could be very useful given the challenging position the Chargers have operated from in the Los Angeles market.

All that being said, it’s not terribly smart for me from a football perspective. If Brady comes, he’s likely bringing his own coaching staff into the building and changing a lot, a la Lebron. That’s a lot of change for someone who would only be here for probably two years.

The other thing is that the problems Rivers has had aren’t really fixed by swapping him with Brady. Rivers’ biggest problem is declining arm strength and a slight decline in accuracy, and does a 43-year-old Brady behind a work-in-progress offensive line change that? Not really.

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