Young prospect vs. Established veteran
The Chargers may opt to go one of two ways regarding the age and experience of their next quarterback. They may choose to pick a rookie of their choosing and develop him, or they may sign one of the free-agent quarterbacks with more experience under his belt.
There are pros and cons to both options, and many head coaches and general managers have a clear preference to one of the two.
Anthony Lynn is a novice head coach with not much of a record regarding his choice of quarterbacks. Some may think the same applies to general manager Tom Telesco, who has been ‘stuck’ with Rivers as his quarterback since he took the job in 2013.
Before becoming the Chargers’ general manager, however, Telesco was director of player personnel for the Indianapolis Colts when they moved on from Peyton Manning after his injury and drafted Andrew Luck.
Now Telesco is in a very similar situation, so the question is: Will he draft a quarterback again?
Telesco’s job is not under scrutiny, so there is no urgency in winning now. That may prompt him to draft a quarterback of his choosing if he believes he can hit a home run.
Nevertheless, Telesco is known for drafting the best player available on the board, regardless of need. If there is a non-quarterback prospect on the board that Telesco deems a better prospect than any quarterback remaining, will he pull the trigger on the best player available, or get a quarterback of the future?
Coach Lynn will certainly get some input in the decision, and while he’s not on the hot seat, he definitely has much less job security than Telesco. After three seasons with Rivers as his quarterback, Lynn will finally get to execute his vision for the team.