Chargers' Rivers agrees to contract extension reportedly worth $84M
Philip Rivers will be with the San Diego Chargers for the foreseeable future as the quarterback agreed to a contract extension, the team announced on Saturday night.
A source told FOX Sports 1 NFL Insider Mike Garafolo that the deal is worth $84 million over four new years with $65 million in guaranteed money.
The question is, will the quarterback finish his career in San Diego or Los Angeles?
Rivers, 33 and the team's starter since 2006, is entering the final year of a $93 million, six-year extension he signed in August 2009.
The extension comes as team chairman Dean Spanos has angered many Chargers fans by exploring a move to the Los Angeles area. The Chargers walked away from negotiations for a new stadium in San Diego in mid-June. Mayor Kevin Faulconer has said that if the sides haven't agreed to a term sheet by Sept. 11, there won't be a special election in January.
The Chargers have partnered with their archrivals, the Oakland Raiders, on plans for a $1.7 billion stadium in Carson if they can't get new stadiums in their home markets. On Tuesday, Carmen Policy, who is spearheading Carson stadium efforts, told NFL owners that "the Chargers and Raiders are committed to Los Angeles." The Carson project is competing with a stadium project in Inglewood backed by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
Earlier this year, Rivers didn't seem keen on moving to L.A. if the team moved. He has said he'd be OK playing out his current deal, but also said he'd be open to an extension, as long as talks didn't drag out into the season.
Rivers played through back and chest injuries in 2014. He was sacked seven times in a season-ending loss at Kansas City that cost the Chargers a playoff berth.
He was obtained in a draft-day deal with the New York Giants in 2004 for Eli Manning, whose family had said he didn't want to play for San Diego. Rivers became the starter in 2006 after Drew Brees was allowed to leave as a free agent.
Rivers has started 144 straight regular-season games, the second-longest active streak behind Manning's 168, and thrown for 36,655 yards. His 252 career touchdown passes are two short of the team record set by Hall of Famer Dan Fouts.
The QB led the Chargers to four straight AFC West titles from 2006-09 and to a wild-card berth in 2013.
The one thing lacking in his career has been a Super Bowl title. Manning and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, the other big-name quarterback taken in the 2004 draft, each have won two Super Bowls. Brees led New Orleans to a Super Bowl title after the 2009 season.
The deepest the Chargers have gone in the playoffs behind Rivers is the AFC championship game following the 2007 season. Rivers gamely played after tearing a ligament in his right knee in the divisional round, but the Chargers lost 21-12 at New England.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
