Philip Rivers isn’t leaving AFC West anytime soon
By Matt Conner
Philip Rivers told Adam Schefter of ESPN that he’s got a few years left in the NFL before he decides to likely retire.
The AFC West is undergoing a slow change of signal callers that will give each team in the division a new face of the franchise. Ever since the Oakland Raiders introduced Derek Carr to the NFL as their starter, each team has slowly been staking their claim for the future in successive drafts—except for the Los Angeles Chargers. And Philip Rivers is making it clear they won’t be making that sort of move for quite some time.
On Wednesday, Rivers appeared on ESPN’s Adam Schefter’s podcast to discuss his playing career and the Chargers and said retirement isn’t coming into focus soon.
"“I don’t want to hang on at the end and just be a guy that’s hanging on. But if I still feel like I can help a team and I enjoy it the way I do and more importantly, if the team feels that I can help them. … I don’t see myself shutting it down any time real soon,” he said."
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That’s bad news for everyone but the Chargers who are undergoing a youth movement of sorts all around their veteran Pro Bowler. This year, they seem more determined than ever to surround him with everything he needs to win. They added two high investments in the draft at guard to grab Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney from Western Kentucky and Indiana, respectively. Those two were at or near the top of their class, giving the Chargers young impact at the hinge positions along the line.
More importantly, the team drafted Mike Williams to give them a physical possession receiver who can be a go-to when Keenan Allen goes down. Pairing him with Allen on the outside along with Tyrell Williams, Dontrell Inman, Travis Benjamin and tight ends Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates means that there’s no shortage of quality pass catchers on the Chargers. If they can keep him upright and the running game can improve with Melvin Gordon, Rivers can potentially command a better offense than the Raiders.
Unfortunately for the Chargers, their defense has always been their Achilles heel and that’s something Rivers can’t help. But Joey Bosa’s arrival and a new deal for Melvin Ingram could help a pass rush turn the corner as a young secondary continues to develop. Perhaps that’s why Pro Football Focus even picked the Chargers to win the AFC West this season.