Philip Rivers enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Chargers, but it’s what he didn’t do that will always haunt those memories.
When Philip Rivers goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, what will he talk about?
It’s an odd thing to wonder about a quarterback. Narratives in professional football are built around the signal-callers. The man who has the ball in his hand every time he’s on the field. Quarterbacks get a disproportionate amount of credit or blame for wins and losses.
Rivers is no different, except for the complete and utter lack of moments to discuss.
The quarterbacks of this century? All the great ones have their moments. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Patrick Mahomes all have titles. Even Eli Manning, famously traded for Rivers in the 2004 NFL Draft, has two championships, both over this century’s dominant team, the New England Patriots.
Then there is Rivers. How can he be included with the aforementioned names? By statistics, he belongs. The 16-year NFL veteran has thrown for more than 59,000 yards and 397 touchdowns. He’s been to eight Pro Bowls.
Yet in terms of moments, Rivers lost an AFC Championship Game playing on a torn ACL. That’s it.
Sure, there were the funny mic’d up sessions and his bolo ties, but those snapshots of personality mean only so much. The Chargers were seemingly an annual pick to win or seriously contend in the AFC West over the past decade and never won a single divisional title. After advancing to the AFC title game in 2007, they never returned with Rivers.
Rivers, who it was announced on Monday will enter free agency, finishes with the Chargers holding a 123-101 record, and a 5-6 postseason mark.
Yes, when Rivers gets in front of the crowd at Canton, who will he be looking at?
The Chargers certainly have their hardcore fans, but many were left in the background when the team relocated out of San Diego following the 2017 season. San Diego was home to the Chargers for 58 seasons before being thrown into a soccer stadium in a city yet to show a modicum of interest in the team.
Rivers spent the final two years of his time with the Chargers playing 16 road games. He spent it away from his wife and nine kids, commuting to Carson, California from his family’s home in San Diego.
The Chargers may have abandoned San Diego. Their quarterback never did.
Ultimately, there’s a sense of longing when thinking about Rivers and his time with the Bolts. He was magnificent for so long, unorthodox delivery and all. He talked trash but rarely cursed, was loathed and loved by opponents and their fans all the same.
Rivers had the capacity to become one of the all-time greats of his era. Instead, he’ll be remembered much in the same way Dan Fouts, another Chargers legend, has been. Great player, great back-of-the-football-card stats, but not equal to his more decorated contemporaries of the day.
Perhaps there’s a wonderful finish for Rivers ahead. Maybe the 38-year-old has a grandiose final act and wins a Super Bowl in his second city. It would be a great story.
Hopefully it happens. Because right now, his Hall of Fame speech will be long on thank-yous and short on gridiron glory.