Los Angeles Chargers running back and soon-to-be free agent Melvin Gordon believes his former teammate, quarterback Philip Rivers, will land with the Tennessee Titans’ division rival, the Indianapolis Colts.
With quarterback Philip Rivers set to be a free agent this offseason, one of the possible destinations for him in 2020 that has been talked about is with the Tennessee Titans’ division rival, the Indianapolis Colts.
Rivers’ former teammate with the Los Angeles Chargers, running back and soon-to-be free agent, Melvin Gordon, believes that the Colts are the most likely destination for the veteran quarterback.
Melvin Gordon to @CBSSports on Philip Rivers: “I think he’ll go to the Colts. I don’t know, that’s just my thought. He has Nick (Sirianni) there, the (OC), he came from here. They run the same playbook, so it’d be easy, he could come right in....That’s probably the best fit.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 17, 2020
Rivers to the Colts would make sense for a lot of reasons, some of which Gordon lists in his comments.
Adding to those, the quarterback position was arguably the one spot holding the Colts back in 2019, as quarterback Jacoby Brissett simply wasn’t effective under center to make the Colts a playoff team.
And, with a talented roster, this Colts team is ready to win now and could be a quarterback away from doing so. Before Andrew Luck retired, Indy was a favorite to not only win the AFC South, but also to make a run to the Super Bowl. With Brissett, the Colts were no better than a mediocre team that finished 7-9.
Rivers is coming off arguably his worst season as a pro, but even still would provide an upgrade over Brissett. Rivers can push the ball down the field better than the Colts’ current starter, which is something Indy was missing in 2019.
Two other factors that could help Rivers elevate his play is the presence of a top-notch running game and an elite offensive line that could protect him better than the one in Los Angeles.
Interestingly enough, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport previously reported that Rivers had once targeted the Titans as a potential spot to play in 2020, but that became unlikely after quarterback Ryan Tannehill had success and brought the Titans to the playoffs.
Should Rivers come to the AFC South, it would undoubtedly add a little more juice to the division and the Titans-Colts rivalry.