Philip Rivers Still Favored To Remain As The Chargers Starter In 2020

The future career of NFL quarterback and possible Hall of Famer Philip Rivers is more uncertain than ever before. In the midst of a shaky season where he has thrown just 17 touchdowns versus 15 interceptions, it looks like the Chargers might need to go in a different direction at quarterback next season.

BetOnline.ag has posted odds on where Rivers will be next season, so let’s take a look at the lines and see if there’s any value:

STARTER FOR THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
ODDS: -150

This is still the most likely outcome of them all. Let’s face it: the Chargers could do a lot worse at the position.

Rivers has had a rough season but so has the entire offense. The Chargers didn’t have Melvin Gordon for the first several weeks of the season and even with him, the running game has been terrible. They’re rushing for 89.1 yards per game, which is the sixth-worst mark. The team has lost six of eight and in half of those games, they haven’t even picked up 40 rushing yards.

Beyond that, the offensive line has been terrible as Rivers is frequently under pressure. He’s been sacked 11 times in the last four games.

The organization has been loyal to him, so after a year marred by the Gordon sideshow, it seems unlikely that Rivers would be kicked to the curb. The rest of this roster is playoff-caliber (they made the playoffs in 2018), so moving on from Rivers probably puts this team into a rebuild and further away from contention.

RETIRED FROM THE NFL
ODDS: +150

This is the best option other than Rivers returning to start for the Chargers. Rivers’ arm strength has certainly declined. He’s always been a gunslinger but now it seems like some of his throws just aren’t getting to where he needs them to be. We’ve seen some ugly interceptions this year – especially in the red zone, like the game against Houston where he threw a pick in the end zone with the game on the line.

Rivers also has a team which always seems to play to the level of the competition. The Chargers hardly ever get blown out, but they almost always seem to trail by one possession – three to seven points, specifically – in the final two to three minutes of just about every game. He’s struggled to execute in those situation this year and maybe he decides to hang up his cleats before things get any worse.

STARTER ELSEWHERE
ODDS: +500

The amount of time Rivers has spent with the Chargers would make it hard to think he would desire a fresh start somewhere else. At the same time, there are so many bad starting quarterbacks that Rivers would get a shot if he hits the open market. A team like the Indianapolis Colts might be interested. The Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers could also make sense. He could find a home.

BACKUP FOR CHARGERS OR BACKUP ELSEWHERE
BACKUP FOR CHARGERS ODDS: +1000
BACKUP ELSEWHERE ODDS: +2000

The proud, defiant, fiery Rivers will not be a backup. He is far too fierce a competitor to accept this role. In terms of the betting lines with this prop, this seems quite unlikely.

What’s even less likely is that Rivers leaves a situation he knows to accept a backup role anyone else. The lone situation might be if he has a shot as a Super Bowl ring but even that’s unlikely as he’s a competitor. It doesn’t seem like he’s the type of guy to win a ring while riding the pine on a good team, but that’s the only way he serves as a backup elsewhere.

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