newest Rivers rumors:

[Boltx]

If Rivers won't sign an extension Franchising the maximum times seems like the only choice....

Yes, and kill our cap, any chance of signing other FAs and ruin the relationship between FO and QB. Plus what if Rivers sits out the season or retires? I pose the latter scenarios only if the team moves to LA, as I think if they stay in SD that he will sign an extension and all of this will be quickly forgotten. This is only my opinion and I could be wrong, but I get the impression that his dislike of having to relocate his family to LA outweighs his love for the game. So while yes, it would be extremely out of character for Rivers to hold out or just suddenly retire, I think in an extreme scenario such as this, it is a very real possibility. Again, just my impression.

"Just franchise him" isn't an awesome strategy, IMO.

[Boltx]

Because his salary will be so small if he doesn't manipulate the media to his advantage.

Exactly. This notion that this is Rivers trying to scheme the system is even more ridiculous than the trade rumors themselves.

And the Chargers staff flew all the way to Oregon for a private workout with Mariota to feign interest, go all illuminati and manipulate the draft from the shadows. C'mon guys.

Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best: I think there is very real concern within the organization of being able to retain Rivers beyond 2015, be it because of the whole LA thing, possible retirement, injury, etc etc etc. We'll see what happens.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Yes, and kill our cap, any chance of signing other FAs and ruin the relationship between FO and QB. Plus what if Rivers sits out the season or retires? I pose the latter scenarios only if the team moves to LA, as I think if they stay in SD that he will sign an extension and all of this will be quickly forgotten. This is only my opinion and I could be wrong, but I get the impression that his dislike of having to relocate his family to LA outweighs his love for the game. So while yes, it would be extremely out of character for Rivers to hold out or just suddenly retire, I think in an extreme scenario such as this, it is a very real possibility. Again, just my impression.

"Just franchise him" isn't an awesome strategy, IMO.

Um, check the cap for next year, we have lots of room to tag Rivers... Same the year after.

[richpjr]

No surprise if Rivers retired over L.A.
By Tom Krasovic7 A.M.APRIL 17, 2015

What Philip Rivers does first is identify the deepest defender.

When the Chargers quarterback talks with reporters, such as four summers ago, he also displays downfield vision.

He was asked in July 2011 if it was good for the NFL that the new collective bargaining pact, just reached, would ensure labor peace for 10 years.

Rivers said he didn't know how the deal would turn out, but he was sure he wouldn't be playing football in 10 years.

It wasn't a surprising comment, but it was a curious one.

Four years later, age 33 and coming off two seasons that either re-affirmed or re-established him as a top-10 quarterback, he seems capable of several more seasons.

New coaches praised his devotion to craft, while longtime teammate Nick Hardwick lauded his off-field conditioning.

Despite torso injuries, Rivers last year never missed a meaningful snap. The boyish enthusiasm was still there. He seemed to still love football, at a time when the NFL loves quarterbacks.

A league of their own

The League, wanting its passers to stay on the field, has changed how the sport is officiated.

It's working. Tom Brady is 37 and coming off a Super Bowl victory. Peyton Manning is 39 and has led the Broncos to three consecutive AFC West titles and a league scoring record. Despite a fractured back Tony Romo, 34, posted a league-best passer rating (113.2) last year 16 points above his career average.

Reflecting their stature, quarterbacks are seeing huge salary gains. The contract the Steelers gave last month to Ben Roethlisberger, who with Rivers entered the NFL in 2004, set a league mark for overall guarantees.

Big Ben's medical history reads like War and Peace. But the rickety passer threw for a league-high 4,900 yards last year, beating his career mark by 600.

Rivers will be 38 entering the final year of the NFL's labor deal in 2020.

Will he be done playing by then, as he lightly forecast four year ago?

If so, he likely would've left a lot of money on the table.

Too, he'd give up at least $20 million in salary if he retired in 2016 or 2017 rather than follow the Chargers to Los Angeles, as he has hinted he might do.

Stars have walked away

Naturally, some people find it unthinkable to forgo that kind of money.

But NFL stars have retired when still in demand.

Jim Brown was a dominant running back when he gave up football to pursue an acting career.

Barry Sanders chose to retire while healthy at age 30 and coming off his 10th Pro Bowl season.

The skeptics said Sanders would un-retire. He never did and ten years later, in 2009, said quitting the NFL was the right move.

"I am very fortunate that I was able to leave in that way," Sanders said, via the Chicago Tribune. "It was the right time. It had kind of built up for a couple of years."

Having never reached a Super Bowl despite earning Pro Bowl honors in all 10 of his seasons, Sanders retired to Oklahoma, where he worked in businesses and spent time with his wife and four children. "I played for 10 years and I had lost enough of a desire to play. That was based on my experience playing for the Lions."

Also a stranger to the Super Bowl entering his 10th season of starting, Rivers has said coaching high school football could be his next gig.

I'd take him at his word -- and the Chargers have, judging by their recent workout of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota -- that he might exchange helmet for headset if confronted by L.A. relocation.

Rivers has grossed over $100 million. No worries where the next bolo tie will come from.

[BlazingBolt]

"Just franchise him" isn't an awesome strategy, IMO.

Its a better strategy than trading him is my only point.

Besides Franchising him could also lead to him signing an extension eventually. Rivers is not pulling an Eli Manning here where he says he refuses to play for the Chargers, he just doesn't want to sign an extension right now and is honoring his contract. He has not even said he would not play in LA. Trading him would be foolish over reaction.....we have a Franchise QB and you do whatever the hell you can keep such a rare and valuable commodity as long as you can.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

The alleged three-team trade would break down as follows:

- The Eagles would receive the No. 2 overall pick from the Titans, which they would then use to draft Mariota.
- The Chargers would receive Sam Bradford, the Eagles’ first-round pick and the Titans’ second-round pick.
- The Titans would receive Philip Rivers and the Eagles’ third-round pick.

Let’s pause to again reiterate this is speculation because one source is confident this is not only possible, but even likely, while two other sources said it sounds outrageous and they know nothing about it. As a quick aside, apparently SB Nation, Bleacher Report and Sports on Earth all got wind of something similar.

The issue here is the Titans’ long-term success. They are in an extreme rebuilding phase and bringing in a 33-year-old quarterback who is underrated overall but not a franchise savior isn’t exactly a great plan. If the Titans don’t show some sign of life this year, their coaching staff will get canned and they know it.

So that may be their thinking: They have no one on the roster who can create enough excitement to save their jobs, so making a trade for a relatively big name would buy Ken Whisenhunt and company time to make some more moves. After all, Whisenhunt coached Rivers in San Diego and if he believes in the gunslinger, this could be his one chance to prove he still deserves to be a head coach in the NFL.

The Chargers and Eagles are both more than on board with this plan, so if the Titans decide they’re ready to pull the trigger and make that phone call, the NFL quarterback carousel could start spinning again.

[blueman]

Bradford? Really?

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

One would think we would want a predraft physical slash workout before a GM would make a draft day trade on a player like Bradford.

[BoltBacker]

We didn't want Mathews, who signed for a small contract in Philly, because he gets hurt way too much. But we want a QB in Bradford who is the most delicate QB in the NFL. I call Bullshit.

[Mister Hoarse]

Jeebus. That 3 way would be worse than a 3 way with Rosanne Barr and Bruce Jenner.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

But we would have picks 17, 20, 33, and 48 in the first two rounds!

[Classic]

But we would have picks 17, 20, 33, and 48 in the first two rounds!

If that's the case trade Bradford for Clevelands #12.

#12 - Danny Shelton
#17 - Todd Gurley
#20 - Randy Gregory
#33 - Erick Flowers
#48 - Dorial Green-Beckham

Trade the rest of the picks for Hundley and we're ready to go to Carson.