More than one and a half decades in yellow and powder blue has come to and end for quarterback Philip Rivers.
The future hall of fame quarterback is officially heading to the Indianapolis Colts, according to ESPN’s Ian Rapoport. The Colts and the 38-year-old Rivers reached an agreement on a one-year, $25 million deal.
Rivers spent sixteen seasons with the Chargers after being traded by the Giants for Eli Manning in the now legendary draft day swap back in 2004.
The Chargers front office and Rivers mutually agreed to part ways back in early February.
General manager Tom Telesco discussed the split:
“After stepping back a bit from last season, we reconnected with Philip and his representatives to look at how 2019 played out, assess our future goals, evaluate the current state of the roster and see if there was a path forward that made sense for both parties,” Says Telesco.”As we talked through various scenarios, it became apparent that it would be best for Philip and the Chargers to turn the page on what has truly been a remarkable run.”
The eight-time Pro-Bowler led the team to the divisional round of playoffs in 2006, his first year as a starter. Rivers went on to take the Chargers to the playoffs six other times, with a trip to the AFC championship game in 2008 (a losing effort to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s Patriots) being his deepest postseason run.
In an official statement Rivers expressed his gratitude to the Chargers organization, teammates, and fans.
“I never took for granted the opportunity to lead this team out onto the field for 235 games. We had a lot of great moments, beginning in San Diego and then finishing in L.A. I wish my teammates and coaches nothing but the best moving forward.”
Following his split with the Chargers, Rivers said he would like to play two more seasons in the National Football League before officially retiring.
Rivers ranks sixth all-time in passing yards and touchdowns amongst NFL quarterbacks.
The Colts have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL. Will adding Rivers to the mix be enough to elevate them to contenders in the AFC? Only time will tell.
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