Report: Chargers Seeking Successor for Philip Rivers

The future of Los Angeles Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers is one of the more hotly debated topics among the fan base. There are those, like myself, who feel the time for the team to find a successor is now - meaning the 2018 NFL Draft. And, of course, there are others who feel Philip is still ‘elite’ and the team may never find a suitable successor to #17.

Assuming a recent tweet from Benjamin Allbright is accurate, it seems the team may not be inclined to wait much longer.

Regardless of what you might think of El Capitan, this makes sense. And it likely extends beyond the due diligence the Chargers did with Marcus Mariota a couple of years ago.

The team has had contingents of varying sizes on hand at several games to scout prospects like Josh Rosen, Sam D’Arnold, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Luke Faulk and even J.T. Barrett this year, which suggests a hyper-focus on the position in the upcoming draft. My only concern here is in the fact that they’ve scouted Allen more heavily than any of the other top prospects, but we’ll just have to hope they’ve had ample time to eliminate Allen as a possibility.

This offseason strikes me as the perfect time to draft a potential successor to Philip Rivers. He is, after all, 36 years old and entering the final two years of his current deal. There is also a good chance he’s about to complete his fourth consecutive season without a playoff appearance (and sixth in seven years), and the possibility remains the team could elect to make Philip a cap casualty following the 2018 season, depending upon how it goes.

It would, at the very least, be prudent to have a contingency plan in place entering 2018, even if the quarterback they draft isn’t necessarily ready to play right away. Not to mention, drafting a quarterback in 2018 would give the team at least a year, of not two, to properly evaluate him before exercising his fifth year option, assuming he’s selected in the first round.

And let’s also remember that drafting a potential replacement doesn’t mean Philip would cede the starting role right away, and it certainly wouldn’t diminish any of the likely Hall of Famer’s accomplishments or contributions to the team and city while in San Diego and beyond. It’s simply the natural order of things, and fighting it only serves to stunt the growth of what is a very young team, the quarterback notwithstanding.

Well, that’s my take on Benjamin Allbright’s report that the team is looking for a successor for Philip Rivers. Tell me what you think in the comments section