LA Chargers fans have been waiting for the day that Philip Rivers puts the powder blue back on and retires with the organization. Rivers left the Chargers for the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, playing one final year away from Southern California before sailing off into the sunset.
Rivers is perhaps the greatest Chargers of all time (and the most beloved by this generation of fans) so the day that he retires as a Charger will be a special day. Many fans have been critical of the Bolts since Rivers stopped playing as this seems like something that should have already been done by now.
One argument for why it hasn't been done yet is if Rivers actually isn't done with the NFL. There was speculation that he would suit up for the New Orleans Saints in 2021 but nothing came to be. With another full season wrapped up, it is safe to say that Rivers' playing days are definitively over, so that is not a hurdle.
But what about coaching? Rivers quickly jumped into coaching high school football and he would be the perfect QBs coach/passing game coordinator. That too may never happen as Rivers has the perfect excuse to join an NFL coaching staff with the Indianapolis Colts hiring Shane Steichen. Despite his relationship with Steichen, though, Rivers quickly dispelled any potential coaching rumors.
Philip Rivers tells me that while he’s “super happy” for his buddy Shane Steichen, new coach of the Colts, he’s also super happy coaching HS football and “I’m staying right where I am.”
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) February 15, 2023
Philip Rivers won't coach Colts, deserves massive send-off from Chargers instead.
So he isn't going to return to play and he isn't going to be coaching an NFL team in the near future. There are no other excuses for the Chargers. It is time to sign Rivers to that coveted one-day contract and allow him to retire as a Charger.
Maybe it has something to do with the team now being located in Los Angeles. Rivers was always San Diego's quarterback and while he played for the team in LA, he never fully embraced the move up north. At this point, that is the only excuse that makes any sense for the Chargers; if Rivers himself is not interested.
It is a bummer that we are not going to see him back on the NFL sidelines in the near future, though. Even though it would be with another team, it would be great to see Rivers barking at the officials in classic Rivers fashion. He would instantly be the most recognizable and prominent QBs coach in the league.
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But alas, it is not meant to be and that opens the door for the Chargers to do something that should have already been done.