After 16 seasons, Rivers and Chargers part ways
Philip Rivers scowled nearly every time he approached the podium for his weekly news conferences. He surveyed the media room, appeared agitated at the first question, and after a few long-winded answers, he turned into the most genial quarterback in the NFL.
Rivers is used to having routines. He stayed with one team for 16 years, where many routines were followed. At age 38, he’ll need to make adjustments, as those routines with the Chargers have come to an end.
The Chargers announced Monday they have mutually parted ways with Rivers after 16 seasons together. Rivers will enter free agency next month looking for a new team.
“After stepping back a bit from last season, we reconnected with Philip and his representatives to look at how 2019 played out, assess our future goals, evaluate the current state of the roster and see if there was a path forward that made sense for both parties,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said in a statement. “As we talked through various scenarios, it became apparent that it would be best for Philip and the Chargers to turn the page on what has truly been a remarkable run.
“We agreed that making this decision well before free agency would allow everyone to put themselves in the best position for success in 2020.”
Rivers added: “I am very grateful to the Spanos family and the Chargers organization for the last 16 years. In anything you do, it’s the people you do it with that make it special. There are so many relationships and memories with coaches, support staff and teammates that will last forever, and for that I am so thankful.”
Rivers showed signs of decline throughout the 2019 season. He struggled with accuracy, arm strength and made head-scratching throws in some of the Chargers’ nine one-score losses.
Rivers’ play on the field led reporters to ask questions about his future. Will he retire or will the Chargers let him walk? But Rivers kept his news-conference routine, never displaying emotion until after the final game of the disappointing 5-11 season.
Rivers tried to fight back the tears in Kansas City, but he couldn’t as he reflected on his many memories with the Chargers. Those tears were the first real sign that his Charger days were over.
“I’ve said before that Philip can still compete at a top-starter level and, in a perfect world, No. 17 is your quarterback forever,” Telesco said in his statement. “Obviously, we live in an imperfect world where the only constant is change. I think Philip’s tremendous perspective, both when it comes to football and when it comes to life, helped lend clarity to a very complex situation.”
Telesco gave Rivers an endorsement, but he’s also the general manager who didn’t re-sign him. Rivers will now need to convince at least one different general manager and his team that he’s still a top-level starter.
Rivers will need to sell himself for the first time since the 2004 NFL Draft, when the North Carolina State quarterback was drafted No. 4 overall by the New York Giants and later traded to the Chargers for No. 1 overall pick Eli Manning.
Rivers will likely have a robust market. Teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,
Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans all have postseason aspirations with question marks at quarterback. — Gilbert Manzano
GARRETT, GOODELL DISCUSS POSSIBLE REINSTATEMENT >> Suspended Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his possible reinstatement, a person familiar with the meeting told The Associated Press.
Garrett, who was banned indefinitely for ripping off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmet and hitting him over the head with it during the closing seconds of a Nov. 15 game, discussed his situation with Goodell and other league officials in New York, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the meeting.
There is no timetable for Garrett’s return. However, he has expressed remorse for his conduct, and his meeting with Goodell was a necessary step in order to get back on the field in 2020.
Garrett’s suspension ended the 24-year-old’s season and was a major blow for the Browns. They went 2-4 in the final six games without their sacks leader and finished 6-10.
Once Garrett is cleared, he’ll be able to take part in the Browns’ offseason program under new coach Kevin Stefanski. Garrett was allowed back at the Browns’ facility toward the end of the season to rehab an injury.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2017, Garrett has had an exemplary record since joining the league, and his actions toward Rudolph were uncharacteristic. He appealed his suspension, but it was upheld by independent officer James Thrash despite Garrett’s allegation that Rudolph used a racial slur.
Garrett’s attack on Rudolph came after the two wrestled on the field as the Browns were closing out a rare win over their AFC North rival, and it touched off a brawl involving several other players.
Steelers guard Maurkice Pouncey received a threegame suspension — it was later reduced to two — for hitting and kicking Garrett, and Browns defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi got a one-game ban for shoving a helmet-less Rudolph to the ground.
The league also fined the Browns and Steelers $250,000 apiece and handed out penalties to players for leaving the bench area and coming onto the field. SHORT YARDAGE >> The Minnesota Vikings hired longtime NFL coach Dom Capers as a senior defensive assistant on an already experienced staff.
• The Los Angeles Rams hired Denver outside linebackers coach Brandon Staley as their new defensive coordinator.
The Rams also announced the hirings of offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell and special teams coordinator John Bonamego on Monday.
• Washington hired Jennifer King as a coaching intern who will work with the offensive staff throughout the season.
King will be a full-year intern but not a full-time assistant coach. The NFL currently does not have a black woman as a full-time assistant.
She most recently worked as an offensive assistant at Dartmouth College. Before that, she interned for the Carolina Panthers during now-Washington coach Ron Rivera’s tenure with them.