The Chargers made the decision to cut ties with quarterback Philip Rivers earlier this offseason after 16 seasons.
The move came after an underwhelming 2019 season. Rather than re-signing him, the franchise decided that it was best to look towards the future, which is why they used their first-round pick to select Justin Herbert.
Rivers ultimately signed to a one-year deal with the Colts, indicating that Indianapolis has faith that he still has enough juice in the tank to get the job done for them.
Did Los Angeles move on from Rivers too soon? Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport believes so.
Davenport laid out each team’s riskiest move of the offseason, and he thinks that L.A. ending their marriage with the 38-year old was it.
It may well be that crow will be served regarding this call in a year or two. If rookie quarterback Justin Herbert turns out to be the real deal and spends the next decade winning games for the Chargers, then 2020 will have been nothing more than a passing of the torch.
If he isn’t, though, that’s another story.
There’s no argument to be made that Philip Rivers didn’t have a lousy 2019 season. His turnovers were way up. His touchdowns and yards per attempt were way down. He looked, for lack of a better term, finished.
However, it wasn’t that long ago that Rivers looked like a very good veteran quarterback who made it to three straight Pro Bowls from 2016-2018. In 2017 and 2018 combined, the Bolts were 10 games over .500.
The decision to move on from Rivers this year is a franchise-definer, one that could ripple across southern California for years.
And potentially cost head coach Anthony Lynn and general manager Tom Telesco their jobs.
For many fans, they weren’t too fond of the decision to cut ties with Rivers. Those who weren’t happy believed that he had a rough season, but it wasn’t primarily his fault.
The injuries and up and down play from the offensive line were tabbed as the reason why Rivers didn’t perform at a high level. While that factors into it, his decision-making was not up to par.
The Chargers could’ve brought him back, bolstered the offensive line and gave him more skill players for one more go around. But they felt like this was the perfect opportunity to start a new identity with Herbert and Tyrod Taylor.
It’s easy to believe that Los Angeles might not have as much success as they would if someone experienced like Rivers was still under center in 2020. But no matter how the quarterback play shakes up, the roster is equipped to make some noice. It will ultimately come down to the health of the players.
As for the long-term outlook at the position, there’s no telling if Herbert is going to thrive in the NFL. But even if they still had Rivers on the roster, the time was now to draft his successor.