LA Chargers: Justin Herbert and former Chargers who followed up legends

3. Billy Joe Tolliver

Dan Fouts was the greatest quarterback in LA Chargers’ history, that is before Philip Rivers came around and broke all of his records. Some older generations might still consider Fouts as the greatest of all-time but regardless, he is a Hall of Fame quarterback that is an icon in Charger history.

While Rivers has the better overall career numbers, I will say, compared to his peers, Fouts definitely had a higher apex than Rivers.

Fouts was the starting quarterback for the Chargers for 15 years, nearly the exact same time period as Rivers, and the quarterback situation was a jumbled mess after him, so there might not appear to be a successor.

Veteran Mark Malone got the most starts in a quarterback room that was awful in the first season without Fouts and then in the second season, the Chargers traded for veteran Jim McMahon, who only played one year with the team.

Prior to that season, though, the Chargers drafted who can be regarded as the successor: Billy Joe Tolliver. The Chargers traded three draft picks to move up to the second round in order to snag Tolliver, who got the full-time starting nod in 1990 after mostly sitting for one season (sound familiar?)

Tolliver did not last long as the starting quarterback. He went 6-8 as a starter in year one, throwing 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for only 2,574 passing yards. By the time 1991 rolled around, Tolliver lost the starting job and was traded to the Atlanta Falcons.