2020 NFL free agency: Does Philip Rivers go to the Colts?

Philip Rivers has played his last game with the Los Angeles Chargers. What are the chances he ends up signing with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency?

Philip Rivers spent his first 16 NFL seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. He put together a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Bolts, but after a bad season with them in 2019, they opted to part ways with their franchise signal-caller. Rivers still wants to play in his late 30s. Could a team like the Indianapolis Colts make sense in his impending free agency?

On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame and Mark Carman, along with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, assess Rivers’ potential free-agent market and decide if a reunion with his former Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich is a good fit for him in Indianapolis (28:21).

Verderame believes Rivers could make the Colts a contender to win the AFC South, but not for the Super Bowl. He likes the Colts’ roster and loves how much available cap space general manager Chris Ballard has to work with this spring. It will be weird to see Rivers play for another team, but if he does opt to play in 2020, then maybe the Colts are the destination for him?

Schwartz, however, believes Rivers shouldn’t play football any more. He thinks Rivers should retire because the age of the immobile quarterback is no more. Schwartz would like to see Ballard continue to build up the Colts’ roster and draft someone like Justin Herbert in the first round. If the Colts need to wait until 2021 to get a franchise quarterback, then so be it.

As is, the Colts can still convince themselves they can contend for the division title with Jacoby Brissett under center. Though Deshaun Watson is the best quarterback in the AFC South, the Houston Texans are often at a coaching disadvantage with Bill O’Brien on the sidelines. The potential pairing of Rivers with Reich at least for the time being makes the Colts interesting.

Ultimately, this has recipe for disaster written all over it. Rivers was not a good football player last year. He’s not getting any younger and the game is quickly moving away from his depleting skill set. Playing in a controlled climate for a coach he’s very familiar with could get the most out of him going forward, but there’s not enough left in his tank for this to be a good fit.

Here are a few other topics discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:

• Schwartz walks us through an Andy Reid play call (33:10)
• Have we heard last of Mason Rudolph–Myles Garrett feud (34:40)
• What to watch for at NFL Combine? (47:15)
• Schwartz talks stretching, yoga in his old age (50:30)

All this and more!

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