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

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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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 26: Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers in action against the Auburn Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 26: Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers in action against the Auburn Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Chargers 2020 quarterback: Joe Burrow

This is a little more complicated than Brady, who would just be a straight swap for Rivers should he come, but there’s probably two real possibilities here. Where does the smoke for Burrow come from?

Over the past weekend, Bleacher Report’s NFL draft reporter and analyst Matt Miller dropped a report that had the Chargers “seriously considering” the eventual replacement of Rivers being Burrow.

A lot of it will come down to ultimately what the final draft position is for the Chargers. A 6-10 team has a better chance at landing Burrow than one that’s 9-7. There’s always the possibility of trading up in the draft though.

Burrow is a really enticing college prospect to me after watching him a couple of times this season. The current Heisman favorite has a little bit of Rivers and some Tony Romo in his game with more athleticism obviously. There are always college prospects that don’t pan out, but Burrow is built more like a pro passer already than a college one.

What would make this interesting is exactly when the Chargers think of playing him. The most likely option here is signing Rivers to a two-year extension and having Burrow sit behind him for a bit, a la Eli Manning and Daniel Jones.

However, Miller’s report seems to indicate it may be a situation in which Burrow starts from day one. Whether it’s Burrow or not, my personal favorite option going forward is drafting a quarterback this year and having him sit behind Rivers.

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