NFL Rumors: Bears May Consider Eight-Time Pro Bowler

The Los Angeles Chargers have lots of work to do in the offseason as they try to assemble a formidable team for the 2020-21 NFL wars. There is no official word yet on what team owners and coaches plan to do although the name of Phillip Rivers has been making headlines.

It appears that the Chargers are reportedly planning to move on sans the 38-year-old quarterback. Several outlets are claiming that Rivers will be hitting the market soon, ending a working relationship that dates back to 2004. But in a report from NFL.com, Ian Rapoport mentioned that the Chargers would still consider franchise-tagging him. Based on his performance last NFL season, that may not make much sense.

The eight-time Pro Bowler is the Chargers franchise leader in several categories. That includes being the leader in passing yards with 59,271, touchdowns (397), fourth-quarter comebacks (27) and game-winning drives (32) per NBC Sports. But if one is to gauge his performance last NFL season, his contributions were quite disappointing. Rivers threw for 4,615 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions as the Chargers ended up dead last in the AFC West.

One team that may consider Phillips would be the Chicago Bears. After comparing both Rivers and Trubisky's performance in 2019, the former has bested the 25-year-old in various categories except for interceptions. Would these be enough to convince general manager Ryan Pace to bring in the veteran quarterback? Will Rivers be an upgrade from Trubisky? These are just some of the questions in mind.

A lot of these questions in mind are likely to be answered by March 18 when NFL free agency kicks off. For the Chargers, the question is who would they turn to with Rivers out of the picture?

The Chargers do have options this offseason. They own the no.6 overall pick of the NFL Draft and could use that to get a young quarterback. There will be free agents as well, including Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. But if age is factored in, Los Angeles may want to broaden their options. There is also veteran Tyrod Taylor or possibly Easton Stick to consider although either could be short-term fixes.

Aside from their quarterback woes, the Chargers need to address their offensive line and pass rushers. It will be a busy offseason for Los Angeles, as they hope to get the right players who will fit in with the system of head coach Anthony Lynn.