The whole ‘San Diego Chargers moving to Los Angeles‘ story has another angle to it: Philip Rivers not wanting to leave. But the team isn’t talking to anyone about a potential trade.

Rivers has made it clear that if the Chargers are heading to Los Angeles, he doesn’t want to be a part of that move. His contract runs out at the end of this season, and the extension talks are between stuck and nonexistent. Some have suggested the Chargers won’t want to risk it, and simply trade him to the Titans, rumored to be interested, for the number two overall spot, which supposedly yields Marcus Mariota.

But the Chargers don’t seem to be buying into these rumors. Rivers has participated in voluntary workouts and isn’t demanding a trade. The Chargers have the ability to use a franchise tag on Rivers through the 2017 season if they don’t agree on a long term contract. It’s actually more costly, especially if it becomes a two-year thing, but it prevents them the headache of negotiating a long term deal.

Rivers is a franchise quarterback, one of the best in the league; a top 10 quarterback as some would call it. The Chargers have a team that’s more or less built to win now, or at least compete. Bringing in Mariota means needing to give him time to develop and adjust to playing in the NFL. Right now, the Chargers don’t have the patience for that, especially when the quarterback they have for at least one more season is a very good one.

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