The San Diego Chargers may trade Philip Rivers this offseason if the quarterback does not want to remain with the team long term and the Tennessee Titans could be an option if the Chargers want to draft Marcus Mariota and this comes as the NY Jets, Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins are also interested in the quarterback.
Rivers is coming into the final year of his deal and so far the two sides are not close on coming to an contract extension agreement. According to Pro Football Talk, the reports about the Chargers interest in Mariota is "serious" and the team could trade Rivers to get a deal done. Kevin Acee at UT San Diego has been reporting on the future for Rivers in San Diego all offseason and he writes that the team should trade Rivers to try and get Mariota.
Acee and other reporters have written about Rivers' desire to not come with the team if they move to Los Angeles and the QB also said that he likely will not extend his deal before the season starts. Rivers not being signed doesn't mean he will get traded, but it leaves his future up in the air and with the team potentially moving and pushing into a new era in a sense with Mike McCoy, Rivers could be gone before the 2015 season starts.
The Union-Tribune San Diego reports that "Rivers could retire after this season" over moving to Los Angeles with the team. Rivers said earlier this offseason that he loves San Diego and also does not want to uproot his family, even though LA is not very far away. Rivers is 33 years old and is playing at a high level and the report about his retirement could be a leverage play to get something done. The Chargers could look at trading up to get Mariota without moving Rivers, but that will take a package of draft picks for that to happen.
Earlier in the offseason NFL.com reported that it would take "multiple first round picks" to acquire Rivers, but if the team acquired the number two pick, it likely would take less than that. Getting the number two pick is a bit different than trades for other picks in the draft and Rivers being involved likely would keep the Titans from having to give up that much to get Rivers. Rivers said he has no problem playing out his deal and that could lead to a trade.
Rivers has a connection to the Titans, as head coach Ken Whisenhunt was the offensive coordinator in San Diego in 2013. Rivers had one of his best seasons under Whisenhunt, setting a career high in completion percentage and putting up one of his best TD to interception ratios with 32 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. Rivers could fit in well with Whisenhunt if the Titans make the trade.
Mariota is generating a lot of interest and some scouts see him as a better option than Winston. The Chargers may want to go all in on Mariota and lock in their quarterback of the future and if they do that, Rivers likely will be traded.
