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Last month I wrote about what any team, including the Chargers, could learn from how the Kansas City Chiefs built a Super Bowl contender. Then on Sunday, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes became Super Bowl champions.
LA extended their head coach this weekend and they are next on the hunt for their own Mahomes. I mean, what team isn’t? And while that moment could be a few years off — the Chiefs posted six winning seasons under Reid before 2019 — the real key for Kansas City was Mahomes. The value in a great quarterback is one thing, but the value in a cheap quarterback seems to keep resulting in Super Bowl appearances.
Mahomes. Jared Goff. Carson Wentz. Joe Flacco. Colin Kaepernick. Russell Wilson. Cam Newton. And the incomparably low veteran salary that Tom Brady plays on every year. They were all playing on deals those seasons that were below the top-tier, sometimes even below the third or fourth tier. The Chargers may have that opportunity if they go with a rookie and a mid-level veteran in 2020. The opportunity to strike could be soon.
They just need to strike lightning.
Onto the links...
Tom Brady? Philip Rivers? Colts look for QBs to push Jacoby Brissett - ESPN
Free agency is about seven weeks away and there are some future Hall of Fame quarterbacks who could be on the market. Tom Brady. Drew Brees. Philip Rivers.
Those are the headliners of the group. Other notable free-agent quarterbacks are Ryan Tannehill — who has earned himself a nice payday after replacing Marcus Mariota and leading the Tennessee Titans to the AFC Championship Game — Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston and Mariota. Who wouldn’t want Brady, Brees or Rivers as their quarterback?
Chargers Have Emerged as ‘Legitimate Option’ for Tom Brady - SI
The Chargers entered the offseason with uncertainty at the quarterback position. Longtime starter Philip Rivers will become a free agent in March after a season in which he turned the ball over 23 times, contributing to the team dropping nine of 11 games decided by seven points or fewer. Rivers, who turned 38 in December, has maintained his interest in playing next season and the Chargers have not officially closed the door on re-signing the veteran to another contract. However, the team will explore its options at the position.
5 reasons Philip Rivers to Buccaneers could totally work - The Pewter Plank
One common misconception about Rivers is that he’s just “a washed-up version of Jameis Winston.” While Rivers certainly did not have a great year in 2019, throwing for just 4,615 yards and 23 touchdowns to 20 interceptions, it should be noted that he’s still more efficient than Winston.
Will the Chargers blitz more in 2020? Possible changes could be coming to Gus Bradley’s scheme - The Athletic
This week, I examined some of the changes we can expect from the Chargers offense next season, based on the tendencies coordinator Shane Steichen displayed after being promoted midway through 2019. Steichen will remain in his role in 2020. So, too, will Gus Bradley, who is entering his fourth season as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator, all of them under head coach Anthony Lynn.
How Robert Saleh talked his way to becoming 49ers’ defensive guru - NY Post
The interview was more like a quiz. Only Robert Saleh already had the answers committed to memory. Originally asked to be the 49ers linebackers coach under Kyle Shanahan, Saleh talked his way onto the short list for defensive coordinator. When it came time to prove he deserved the job, his early years of grunt work paid off.
“I remember him grinding me, asking every question he ever could,” Saleh said of his interview with Shanahan. “He had so many questions about why things were the way they were, and I was very fortunate I was Gus Bradley’s and Pete Carroll’s original notetaker when this whole [scheme] got created. I was able to tell him every reason why and what things could happen to make the thing evolve to what it’s become here.”
3 free agents who could help team reach Super Bowl next season - Bolts Beat
The Los Angeles Chargers, like 29 other teams, will be watching Super Bowl LIV from home.
But the way the NFL is currently constructed, teams can bounce back from a poor year and be in the Super Bowl the very next. Just look at the San Francisco 49ers, who won the NFC this season after going 4-12 last year.
The 49ers had the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and selected Nick Bosa, but that is just one of many moves the team has made since John Lynch became general manager and hired Kyle Shanahan as his head coach.
Los Angeles Chargers’ Joey Bosa Is Seeking A Super Payday This Off-Season - Forbes
The Los Angeles Chargers’ Joey Bosa is in for a big payday.
The San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa is primed for gaudy piece of jewelry on his big ring finger with one more victory.
L.A.’s Bosa is set to win once Sunday’s Super Bowl 54 is in the past and the NFL offseason gears up in earnest. The Chargers’ standout defensive end and brother of S.F.’s Bosa, will be that much closer to starting the final season of his rookie contract, which pays him over $40 million over five years.
Chargers have second-best odds to land Tom Brady if he leaves Patriots - ClutchPoints
The Los Angeles Chargers appear to be in the market for a new quarterback, and Tom Brady could be an option. According to SportsBetting.ag, the Chargers have the second-best odds at 4/1 to land Brady if he leaves the New England Patriots.