NFL Rumors: Chargers tell Philip Rivers he won’t be traded
By CM Towle
The San Diego Chargers tell quarterback Philip Rivers that he will not be traded and they plan to discuss long-term contract numbers.
On Draft Day, the Chargers have reportedly told their quarterback Philip Rivers that they do not intend to trade him and further will begin long-term contract negotiations, according to a story by Rotoworld citing Chris Mortensen of ESPN.
The idea that the Chargers might be willing to trade Rivers has persisted for weeks, with the Titans being one team that was reportedly very interested in him. However, now the Titans have moved onto the plan of selecting Marcus Mariota in the NFL Draft to potentially become their franchise quarterback.
Part of the reason for the Rivers to Titans rumors is the other rumor that the Chargers might be the team to inevitably head to Los Angeles when a new stadium is built. Rivers was apparently really not hot on that idea and so San Diego and Tennessee started talking. In the end, the two sides could not agree on reasonable compensation for the deal to get done.
Reportedly, the two sides were not even close to coming up with something they could mutually agree on. According to a story by CBS Sports, the Titans may have wanted more than just Rivers in order to give up their number two pick and the Chargers may not have even been willing to give up their own number one pick in the draft. In other words, both sides were pretty far apart from the very beginning.
Yet, when you look at it, Rivers to the Titans makes a lot of sense for both teams. The Titans could have had a franchise quarterback immediately, no ifs, ands or buts. Plus, Rivers even lives near Nashville. For the Chargers, they could have had the opportunity to reboot, get younger and draft Mariota. However, for the Chargers especially, there were always caveats. They had to really believe in Mariota, not to mention, certain that they would not be able to get Rivers to a long-term deal. Both sides had to believe in what they were getting and make some sacrifices in order to get it.
Obviously the willingness to make sacrifices was not there, which leads you to believe that the belief in what they were getting wasn’t there either. The sense from the Titans is now that it would take a lot to pry the number two pick out of their hands.