Fansided

5 teams Philip Rivers could end up playing for in 2020

By Brad Berreman

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 07: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up during pregame warm ups prior to the start of his game against the Oakland Raiders at RingCentral Coliseum on November 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 07: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up during pregame warm ups prior to the start of his game against the Oakland Raiders at RingCentral Coliseum on November 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Mandatory Credit: John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

4. Carolina Panthers

Back-to-back injury-riddled seasons have put Cam Newton’s future as the Panthers’ quarterback in doubt. The team can move on from him very easily if they want to, with a minimal dead money hit ($2 million) while clearing $19.1 million in cap space. There’s a chance Newton and head coach Ron Rivera will both be gone after the season, as owner David Tepper refused to address Rivera’s future after a bad loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11.

Rivers played collegiately at North Carolina State, and if Rivera remains in place as head coach there’s some assumed level of familiarity there. Prior to taking the Carolina job, Rivera was the Chargers’ linebackers’ coach (2007) and then defensive coordinator (2008-2010). Yes they didn’t work together on a daily basis, but Rivers did get to practice against Rivera’s defense.

The Panthers may be headed for a full-on reset in 2020, from the general manager to the head coach on down to the starting quarterback. How a veteran like Rivers would fit into that picture is a question. But an assumed search for a proven signal caller, with the idea on not fully bottoming out next year, puts him at least on the periphery of the mix in Carolina.

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