(For the previous 16 autumns, Philip Rivers began the NFL season as a Charger.
Whether that will change when the 2020 season dawns, remains uncertain.
The future of the Athens High School graduate with the Chargers remains up in the air as the franchise has yet to make a decision on their eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
The 38-year-old Rivers played out the final season of his contract without signing an extension with the Bolts. Going forward, Rapoport added the Chargers‘ options would be signing Rivers to a franchise tag or letting him walk into free agency and playing 2020 with a new quarterback under center. As Rapoport pointed out, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise after the team pondered benching Rivers, who has started 224 straight games, toward the end of the season.
The father of nine has already moved from Southern California to Florida, but whether he moves from the only franchise he’s ever played for is still uncertain.
Seen as a darkhorse Super Bowl contender going into 2019 following a trip to the 2018 AFC Divisional Round, the Chargers fell upon hard times with a plethora of close and cruel losses along with myriad injuries. Rivers’ play also came under criticism during the 5-11 campaign, as he he threw 20 interceptions along with 23 touchdowns, 4,615 yards. He also had an 88.5 QB rating. It was Rivers’ lowest rating since and most interceptions since 2016.
Rivers’ future — be it with the Chargers or elsewhere for the first time in what has likely been a Hall of Fame career — remains to be seen.
