Philip Rivers to the Jaguars?!?!

I love Philip Rivers. He is perhaps my favorite Chargers player of all time. I admire his leadership, his passion, and his determination. That is why the last couple of years have been extremely rough for me to watch him carry a team ravaged by injuries and depleted by talent to nowhere. I was at the forefront of Rivers defense when fans/analysts would bring up his turnover woes, or his subpar record over the last couple of years. “He has no offensive line! He is throwing to a bunch of undrafted misfits! It isn't his fault!”

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I still believe my rebuttals were accurate. However, after watching him play this year; I am no longer convinced that Rivers wasn’t part of the problem himself. This year there are no more excuses. Rivers offensive line may not be that of the Dallas Cowboys, but they are improved and have been adequate in providing him time to throw. As for his offensive weapons, Rivers has a plethora of options that have been healthy and supportive.

All this being said, Rivers is still having one of his worst years of his career. It may not show on the stat sheet, but if you are really watching him play you would see the many flaws that have been holding the Chargers back. If you want proof, then look at the piece my esteemed colleague from Bolts From The Blue, Kyle Posey, put together. He did a fantastic breakdown of Rivers’ performance against a battered New York Giants team.

Once again, I will come to Rivers’ defense. All of the years of Rivers getting clobbered has attributed to his many bad habits that can be seen in the film. This is not to say 17 is a bad QB, it’s just that he has shown signs of regression. Rivers is still better than over half of the quarterbacks in the league. This now leads me to my next thought. Should the Chargers entertain the idea of trading Rivers while he still has some value?

Albert Breer, of Sports Illustrated MMQB, seems to have found a trading partner for the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If you do not have the time to read the whole article then let me paraphrase it for you. The Jacksonville Jaguars are currently in first place in the weak AFC South despite the horrendous play of their QB who they have absolutely no interest in bringing back, leaving them a major void for the next couple of years. The Jaguars boast a ferocious defensive and an overpowering running game. They are only an average/good quarterback away from making a serious run at the Super Bowl.

Breer even brings up why Rivers would waive his no-trade clause to join Jacksonville. The Jaguars have $40 million in cap space, so Rivers would not have to make any salary concessions. Couple that with the fact that Rivers has a home in Destin, Florida which is close to Jacksonville and his hometown in Alabama, it is easy to see why he would be open to waiving his no-trade clause. And oh yeah, there is also the idea of playing with a legit contender that could help him chase a ring like Peyton Manning did.

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That now leads us to compensation. What should the Jaguars fork over to get a quarterback in his mid-30s that only has 2-3 years left in him? From a realistic standpoint, I feel that a 2018 second round and a 2018 fourth rounder (with the option to become a third rounder if the Jags make the playoffs) is more than fair for a QB that is among the leaders in turnovers over the last 3 years. I would be excited for both the Chargers and Rivers if a deal like this got done. The Chargers reload and receive some ammunition to get their signal caller of the future where he will be able to join a young and upcoming team. As for Rivers, he joins a team that is ready to win now and finally gets the chance to win a Super Bowl ring.

Sound off Chargers fans! Are you open to the idea of the Chargers trading Rivers away? If so, what do you think is fair compensation?