Why the Chargers can’t pass on a first-round quarterback

Philip Rivers almost certainly won’t be back

Though the report from a couple of weeks ago from Jay Glazer clouded the situation and made things that are far from official sound official, Philip Rivers is likely playing somewhere else next year, if he plays at all. It’s not hard to connect the dots.

Rivers moved his family to Florida. For a guy who lived in San Diego from the time he was drafted to move his family across the country the year his contract expires speaks volumes. It definitely seems like things between he and the team have broken down over time and the inevitable divorce between the two sides seems to have been accepted.

Sure, the team can still lock him down with the franchise tag. Right after the Glazer report came out, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport mentioned that as a possibility, but let’s be honest, what sense does that make?

The Chargers tie up a ton of money in an aging Rivers coming off arguably the worst season of his career? It makes no sense as the team should be allocating that money elsewhere.

It might be hard for fans to admit that it’s time to move on from Rivers, but that time has come, just like it did for Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts. That year, the Colts held the No.1 overall pick, making it easier to move on from the legend. The Chargers are in a similar situation in this draft.

That leads to this next point.