Phillip Rivers New Deal

Business Insider - Heading into training camp and preseason, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was perhaps the most notable quarterback still seeking an extension.

After it seemed like a deal wouldn't get done at all, the two sides suddenly came to an agreement on a four-year, $83.25 million deal.

While that deal may not look as flashy as some quarterback extensions — like Cam Newton's five-year, $103 million deal — it contains a whopping $65 million in guaranteed money.

Also notable, according to ProFootball Talk's Mike Florio, Rivers' base salary is $15 million this season — down from $15.7 million last year. However, he also received a $22.5 million signing bonus, bringing his earnings this year to $37.5 million!

This is huge, because in most of these deals it is the first-year money that is only truly guaranteed with the rest of the guarantee only being tied to a career-ending injury.

In comparison, Russell Wilson's four-year, $88 million extension had $61.5 million in guaranteed money. But besides for Wilson's massive $31 million signing bonus and $700,000 in salary this season, the rest of the deal is basically team options.

Rivers' deal is similar except that he gets more first-year money and more guarantees than any of the five biggest guaranteed contracts agreed to in the last year:

Business Insider

It has taken me a full week to stop shaking my head to be able to blog about this deal. I am in the camp that Rivers is the best option for the Bolts for the next 2 seasons and then its probably time to move on if something doesn't drastically change with the direction of the roster/organization. But, the boys in suits down in Mission Valley just handed out a deal that was IMPOSSIBLE to not take no matter what is going on behind the scenes.

I'm more in the camp that every action an organization should be done to improve your chances to win a title now or by subtraction for the future. Guaranteeing the extra 25 million then what the market would have dictated on the open market is BANANAS. Especially when that extra 25 mill is on top of 16 million this year (2015) along with 40 million that he's actually worth. Rivers wouldn't have come close to this deal on the open market and he knows it. I bet he jumped in his shuttle bus and flew down to the Q to sign this deal. Probably threw a few of his kids out the window to gain speed down the 15.

The thing that numerous people have not picked up on is that this extension starts AFTER this season. That means the contract reads we are paying you GUARANTEED for 4 years of Elite production. That is a giant bet for a guy that has gotten beaten up the last few years and has definitely lost a ton of zip on his ball. Combination of age, health, and HORRIBLE mechanics is a huge bet that Rivers will be productive in 36 months. 

Rivers is a top 10 QB in the NFL albeit the bottom side of the top 10 list but 20 million is the market at hand for the QB position. But for this deal to make any sense Rivers will have to stay at that level for the next 48 months. WOOF.

Rivers agents played their hands Perfectly. They had the perfect storm of PR and negative chargers stadium news to really take it to the Chargers and they walked away with maybe the best contract ever in the NFL for a given player of Rivers capacity/projection. Asking and getting a "no trade" clause accepted must've just been a cherry on top like an elaborate TD dance. No one gets trade clauses in NFL deal bc their basically aren't even trades in the NFL.

The only thing that really backed San Diego into the corner besides the majority of bad PR the organization has received because of the possible relocation is that the Chargers must have a QB to market if they move to LA. LA fans like names and its going to be a dogfight for the Chargers to gain popularity in that market against the other two teams that have resided there previously. The Contract deal is also probably a good sneak behind the curtain stating the Spanos clan doesn't know yet if the potential move will be granted by the NFL in 2016 or 207. This deal guarantees the Chargers have a QB name to market for either year of a relocation to LA.


P.S.  Football contracts stink relatively speaking. That 65 million guarantee is a HUGE win for the most important position in sports that literally only a dozen people in the world can do at a high level is a JOKE. When a guy like Shin-Soo Choo literally makes double this contract playing baseball then you know something doesn't make sense and 2% of sports population know that Shin- Soo Choo even exists.


P.P.S. Really hope all this new cash means my boy Rivers is going to try to have like 20 kids. Don't know why I am now cheering for this but might as well be the best at producing kids in the NFL. Go big or go home.

"You Believe we got a No-Trade clause in that deal?  Ya - We asked for it for shits and giggles and they said sure."

-Phil River (Probably)

***Some local media short bus regulars citing Rivers deserves this contract because of winning a playoff game on a busted knee back in in 2008 is literally the epitome of stupidity. So paying a guy future money because he was gutsy 7 years ago is something that equates in someones brain is some scary scary stuff.***