Where Do the Chargers Go from Here?

[Jeff W]

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The SD FO is extremely conservative and way under the cap. I think they'll be ok, especially when they get rid of one of their QBs in the offseason.


[/ QUOTE ] They are $3.3 million under the cap about middle of the pack. Not in cap trouble, but not way under. The Eagles are $12.6 million, they are way under.

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This is not the most important number to look. The key is how flexible they are. How much of their money is locked up in gauranteed contracts(signing bonuses, etc...) and how much they will have free at the end of the season. It is inefficient for a team to be too far under the salary cap.

[Jeff W]

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I would think they are going to use a good chunk of it on Westbrook. However, still nothing. I do like the fantasy numbers he is putting up in his contract year. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

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I would not be surprised if Philly let Westbrook go in the off-season. Philly's front office is smart.

Running backs are replaceable and they're usually overpaid relative to their value. However--his value lies in his receiving abilities, he may come cheap enough for them to resign.

[Jeff W]

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With the San Diego Chargers trading for AJ Feeleydoes this mean resolution for their QB situation? Despite what AJ Smith says this seems like a pretty big step.

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Look at who we traded for him--our 3rd string QB who has never thrown a pass in the regular season. And they threw in a 6th round draft pick. I think that speaks about how important he is to our future plans.

If Brees is traded, the front office will have to deal with public backlash. He is the only successful quarterback we've had since journeyman Stan Humphries was knocked out in 1997. OTOH, we're not going to recoup full value for Phil Rivers.

I favor trading Phil Rivers and getting what we can for him, but I was never sold on him coming out of college and I felt we should have drafted someone else and let Brees keep the starting job. When Brees came out of Purdue, Bill Walsh said that he looked like a future hall of famer. Bill Walsh would know. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Sluss]

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As for the Chargers, I don't understand why you (OP) think it will be so difficult to trade Rivers? Wouldn't they be responsible for all of the signing bonus and take the cap hit? The contract isn't bad at all. Teams fall over themselves to give money to young QBs, this would be a relative bargain. Unless I'm mistaken about cap rules, SD would bear the financial burden here. And they should, as it would be foolish to relieve themselves of Brees's services.

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From what I've been able to gather in the past few day maybe his contract is not as bad as I had thought. FWIW, I think that the Chargers would have to eat signing bonuses. The team getting Rivers would have to pay salaries and incentives.

If it is going to cost you a first round or second round pick for Rivers why wouldn't you just wait for the draft and take one there with your own pick. Rivers isn't any more proven than any college QB at this point and I was never very impressed by him in pre-season to think he would be a Hasselbeck, Dellhomme, Bulger, Brunell or other QBs that were preseason dominators before they became starting QBs for other teams.

[Soul Daddy]

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If it is going to cost you a first round or second round pick for Rivers why wouldn't you just wait for the draft and take one there with your own pick.

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Assuming roughly equal ability, Rivers is going to be 2 years further along in his development than whatever rookie a team picked in the draft. He might not have gotten game snaps, but practice time, digesting and understanding an NFL playbook, understudying for a Pro Bowler, etc... all add up to experience that a rookie simply doesn't have.

A team might hit the jackpot with a Roethlisberger, but that's happenned twice in the past two decades. Much more likely is they'd have to wait 2 years before the QB they drafted is near where Rivers would be next season. And it would likely cost them a lot less, both cap-wise and real dollars, than it would if they drafted him anywhere near the top of the draft, due to not being responsible for the bonus.

[brettbrettr]

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If it is going to cost you a first round or second round pick for Rivers why wouldn't you just wait for the draft and take one there with your own pick.

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He's further along in his development that a rookie, IMO. And obviously a team would opt for him if they think he's a better prosect than whoever else is available....

[brettbrettr]

from Newsday...

The Chargers' acquisition of backup quarterback A.J. Feeley could indicate they're willing to part with one of their other quarterbacks next offseason. Just not the one most people believe.

San Diego could be willing to part with Drew Brees, not Philip Rivers, after the season, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Brees, the Chargers' starter, does not have a contract for 2006. The Jets would be interested because Brees, 26, has a strong arm and can run.

If the Chargers decide to go with Rivers, whom they've given $14.5 million in bonuses, the likely approach would be to franchise Brees and trade him. The Jets would then have to sign Brees to a contract so big, he'd have to be considered the starter.

[Soul Daddy]

I won't overreact to a Newsweek rumor story, but if that held true, they had better be right about Rivers.

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The Jets would then have to sign Brees to a contract so big, he'd have to be considered the starter.

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This statement made me laugh. As if he's going to be a backup for backup money somewhere. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[brettbrettr]

Yeah, that statement is funny. I doubt he'd even consider the Jets b/c the last thing this guy needs is another QB controversey. And I don't blame him at all. If its Brees who goes, I don't see why The Cardinals wouldn't sign him.

[arod15]

Trade rivers to the jets and get some value...