San Diego Chargers may fire first salvo at 2015 NFL Draft



Mark Maske, Washington Post:
Some people within the league don’t quite know what to make of the speculation that the San Diego Chargers potentially could trade quarterback Philip Rivers to the Tennessee Titans for the second overall choice in the NFL draft Thursday night and the chance to select Oregon QB Marcus Mariota.

But they don’t dismiss the possibility of such a deal. Anything is possible, after all. If the Chargers are convinced that Mariota will be an NFL standout, they just might be willing to move on from Rivers, especially at a time when there have been some doubts expressed about his future with the organization and there clearly is uncertainty about the franchise’s future in San Diego.

There is a good chance that Philip Rivers will join his former coach Ken Whisenhunt with the Tennessee Titans. In the last five years, the San Diego Chargers have compiled a 42-38 record, not winning more than nine games in any of those seasons.

It was 11 years ago that the Chargers traded the top pick in the 2004 NFL draft, Eli Manning to the New York Giants for three draft picks (including a No. 1 pick in 2005). Philip Rivers has led the Chargers to the playoffs only once since 2009. San Diego has a 4-5 playoff record with Philip Rivers at QB. The Chargers lost a hard fought 24-17 battle with the Denver Broncos in 2014 in an AFC second round matchup. The Chargers struggled in 2014 posting only a 9-7 record after starting the year, 5-1.

Philip Rivers had a superb season in 2013 with Ken Whisenhunt as his offensive coordinator. Rivers threw for 4479 yards with 32 TD's, only 11 interceptions and a QB rating of 105.5. He was sacked 30 times, compared to 49 in 2012. Following the 2013 season, Whisenhunt left the Chargers to become the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Philip Rivers was sacked 36 times in 2014 and fumbled eight times. The Chargers failed to score at TD in four of their last five games.

It is ironic that the top two QB's from the 2004 NFL draft who were once traded for each other will enter the 2015 season in the final year on their contracts. San Diego has a chance to make the transition a smooth one replacing Philip Rivers with Marcus Mariota. It would appear to be a perfect fit for both. Philip Rivers and his wife Tiffany have no intention of taking their seven children to the Chargers' new home in Los Angeles.

The time is right for Philip Rivers to head back home, and work with Ken Whisenhunt of the Titans. Rivers has sacrificed enough. It is time for the Chargers to move on. It worked the last time they let their starting QB Drew Brees leave, and replaced him with Philip Rivers.



Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire. .

Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy

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