In 16 NFL seasons, quarterback Phillip Rivers has thrown for 59,271 passing yards with 397 touchdowns. All of those came with the Chargers organization, but his next yards and scores will come elsewhere.
In a long expected move, the Chargers announced on Monday that the Buffalo Bills won’t be facing Rivers in 2020 when Buffalo hosts them. Well, things weren’t exactly tailored that way, but the Chargers and Rivers “mutually agreed” that Rivers will become a free agent and not return to the team:
“In anything you do, it’s the people you do it with that make it special. There are so many relationships and memories with coaches, support staff and teammates that will last forever, and for that I am so thankful."
Philip Rivers to Enter Free Agency » https://t.co/njeTsCbi1D pic.twitter.com/bCKXKTRePh
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) February 10, 2020
Speaking of “tailoring” news, this move brings former Bills starting QB Tyrod Taylor into the spotlight. He’s currently the No. 1 QB on the Chargers roster with Rivers gone.
But we’re a long ways away from next season. A lot could change by then, but there’s a few key factors to keep in mind.
The Chargers just extended their head coach, Anthony Lynn, so he’s going to be around regardless of whatever quarterback takes a snap next season for LA. In regard to Lynn, many point to his desire to have more of a mobile quarterback. You can’t get much more mobile than Taylor, who Lynn coached while with the Bills as well, and even NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport acknowledged that in a Monday report.
“You mentioned the kind of quarterback Anthony Lynn wants, they have one, (Lynn) does seem to favor more of a mobile-type quarterback, they have one in Tyrod Taylor,” Rapoport said.
Additionally, Rapoport said the Chargers are “looking for a new beginning at the quarterback position, someone who can turn the ball over far less.” That’s another trait used to describe Taylor, who has kept his interception rate down during his career, including his time with the Bills.
In his career, Taylor also has a winning record as a starter, 23-20-1, which is actually 24 wins because of that one time he didn’t take the first snap of the game with the Bills, a game the Bills won and he played every other snap as the QB.
Still, even with all the positives Taylor’s resume might hav, there’s plenty of other factors at play here. Rapoport also reported that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is expected to test free agency and in doing so also said the Chargers will be a team that’s interested. Furthermore, RapSheet says that the Chargers have been scouting quarterbacks “a lot” leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft. They hold the No. 6 overall spot so QBs such as Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert could be in play as well.
Circling back to the Bills, as things currently sit, Taylor is leading a team into Buffalo next season. But we’ve got a long way to go to see if that’s going to happen.
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