Photos: First look at former notable LA Chargers with their new teams
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers lost some notable players in free agency this season.
The LA Chargers had a very interesting offseason that started with a bang and finished with a bang. General manager Tom Telesco kick-started the offseason by trading left tackle Russell Okung for right guard Trai Turner with the hopes of shoring up the offensive line.
Telesco took an aggressive approach to the rest of the offseason that netted the Bolts several new faces. He signed key free agents in the likes of Linval Joseph, Bryan Bulaga and Chris Harris. He traded up back into the first round to draft linebacker Kenneth Murray after taking Justin Herbert sixth overall.
Then, after a few weeks of inactivity, the best thing that a Charger fan could have asked for happened: the team signed Joey Bosa to a five-year contract extension. Happy days.
The offseason was not all net-positive, though, as the team lost some notable players that are now donning new uniforms in 2020. Some were fan favorites that were let go, others were notable role players and some the fans did not even care about.
With training camp starting to get underway, we got our first look at some of these players in their new threads.
Photos of notable former LA Chargers with their new teams:
The first one is the one that is going to hurt the most. If you have not seen it already, brace yourself.
New shade of blue for 1️⃣7️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ZEnWV0sNE6
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 1, 2020
I shudder just looking at these pictures of Philip Rivers in a Colts uniform. Philip Rivers is a Charger for life. Nobody will remember him for his days in Indianapolis unless he miraculously wins a Super Bowl there and even if he did, he will always go down as a Charger.
It was best for the team to move on. Rivers’ interceptions last season is what killed the team and it was clear that it was time to move on from the gunslinging offense that Rivers orchestrated. It was better to use those funds for free agents and Rivers now finds a home that has the best offensive line in the NFL.
That is huge for Rivers and I mean it when I say I am genuinely rooting for him.
The next former player in his new threads is a player that Charger fans turned against because of his contract holdout and some of the comments he has made about the team since leaving.
https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1289937255432245255
Melvin Gordon now makes up one of the best running back duos in the league alongside Philip Linsday (have to give credit where credit is due) and was not shy in taking subtle shots at the Chargers on his way out.
Most notably was Gordon saying that Charger fans prepared him for games without any fans in the stands since there were never any Charger fans at home games. Unfortunately, we as Charger fans kind of earned that reputation after our poor showing in Carson and hopefully things will change at SoFi Stadium once fans are eventually let back into sporting events.
Thus far, these are the only notable former LA Chargers that we have seen in their new threads. We have not seen Russell Okung in a Panthers jersey, Adrian Phillips in a Patriots jersey, Thomas Davis in a Washington Football team jersey nor Derek Watt in a Steelers jersey.