The Steelers signed Ben Roethlisberger to a big contract extension. The Giants may do the same with Eli Manning.
And the Chargers and Philip Rivers will reach an agreement on a new deal. Right?
No so fast.
Rivers, an 11-year veteran who came into the league along with Roethlisberger and Manning in 2004, told the San Diego Union-Tribune he won’t sign a new deal before his contract ends after the 2015 season.
Rivers wavering on his future with the Chargers could be the reason why the team is holding a private workout for Marcus Mariota. The Heisman Trophy winner has worked out for the Titans (No. 2) and also has scheduled workouts with the Jets (No. 6) and Buccaneers (No. 1).
San Diego would have to move up from No. 17 to have a chance at landing Mariota.
And what would that mean for Rivers if the Chargers did select his replacement?
The veteran said “nothing” could change his mind about the extension, but then backtracked a bit.
“What I can control and all I know as of today, I am signed up for one more year,” Rivers told U-T San Diego. “I guess things could change, but with all the uncertainty in many aspects, I don’t see it changing before camp gets here, and when camp gets here, I’m even more certain to play it out.”
Despite Rivers’ protestations, the Chargers could use the franchise tag to keep him for another year.
His 2015 cap number is $17.416 million, and it would cost $20.9 million to keep him with the team for 2016.
“I don’t like Philip as our QB, I love him,” general manager Tom Telesco told the website, referring to the prospect of trading Rivers. “And I’ll go to war with him.”
And NFL.com also reported the Chargers have no intention of letting Rivers go. So the chance of Rivers being offered in a trade to a quarterback-needy team, such as the Jets, seems remote at best.
A big reason why Rivers is lukewarm about re-signing with the Chargers is the increasing talk of the Chargers threatening to move to Los Angeles.
“What we’ve established here with my growing family is hard to recreate,” Rivers said. “It’s hard to up and recreate that. I know that moves are part of life.
“But that certainly is fair to say that [not being sold on moving to Los Angeles] is part of it. The good thing is I’m not under contract in a year, where we’d potentially be in Los Angeles.”