The San Diego Chargers were never worried. Neither was Philip Rivers. The two sides came to an agreement, signing a new contract for the franchise quarterback, surely keeping him, regardless of where the team moves to and when, with the Chargers for the rest of his career.
Rivers signs an extension (he was entering the final year of his current deal) that runs through the 2019 season, paying him $83.25 million, including $65 million in guaranteed money, more guaranteed money than in any other current contract in the league, slightly ahead of Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton.
Rivers has said a number of times during the negotiations-through-the-media that he doesn’t mind playing through the last season of his contract without a new deal and then deciding between retiring and hitting free agency. There was even talk before and after the draft about a trade with the Tennessee Titans for Marcus Mariota, but in the end Rivers stays where he’s been since 2004.
Signing Rivers gives the Chargers an opportunity to keep Eric Weddle through a franchise tag at the end of this season. The two sides have stopped negotiating and it doesn’t seem like there will be an agreement between the All-Pro safety and the team, with a lot of bad blood between the sides. However, these extension agreements do come out of nowhere and it’s all about money, so maybe Weddle is willing to get back to the table and talk, despite the sentiment of disresepct.