Things are set up nicely for a new QB
With the team not having to commit to Rivers at this point with his contract running out combined with the fact that Anthony Lynn was signed to a contract extension, it sets the stage for a change at the top position.
Does Lynn’s extension guarantee the team will draft a quarterback in the first round? No, but it is a huge possibility.
In Lynn’s time as the team’s head coach, he’s had Rivers as his quarterback and he’s had to design his offense and his weekly gameplans around what Rivers can and can’t do.
For the last several years, the team has looked at getting quarterbacks with the ability to be mobile on the roster. This list includes Tyrod Taylor, Easton Stick, Cardale Jones (heck, the team even worked out Robert Griffin III at one point).
This shows the direction that the team would like to go in. Having Taylor on the roster as a terrific placeholder for whoever the future starting quarterback might be gives the Chargers a huge advantage and shows that the team may have seen this all coming last offseason when it signed him despite already having Rivers on the roster following a wildly successful season.
A coach with a new contract, a terrific veteran quarterback that can be a “bridge” to the future and a high draft pick could easily equal taking one of the big names in the first round.