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Odds Favor Tyrod Taylor Starting for Chargers in 2020, Bucs Favored to Land Rivers

David Golokhov

by David Golokhov in NFL Football

Updated Apr 8, 2020 · 11:58 AM PDT

Philip Rivers on the practice field.
With Philip Rivers expected to leave the Chargers, Tyrod Taylor is favored to be their next starter. Photo by Keith Allison (Flickr).
  • The Los Angeles Chargers are reportedly moving on from Philip Rivers
  • The Chargers are currently at +1600 to win Super Bowl 55
  • Rivers looks like he’d be a great fit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Los Angeles Chargers have reportedly moved on from quarterback Philip Rivers. Tyrod Taylor is currently the favorite to be the starter in Week 1 next season but is he the best bet? And as far as Philip Rivers goes, where is the best landing spot for him? Let’s take a closer look at both situations and props.

Los Angeles Chargers Starting Quarterback Odds

Player Odds
Tyrod Taylor +150
Teddy Bridgewater +500
Tua Tagovailoa +500
Tom Brady +600
Justin Herbert +900
Jameis Winston +1000
Marcus Mariota +1000
Jordan Love +1600
Andy Dalton +1800
Jake Fromm +1800
Dak Prescott +2500
Ryan Tannehill +2500
Colin Kaepernick +10000
Eli Manning +50000

All odds taken on Feb. 5.

Chargers at +1600 to Win Super Bowl With Taylor?

One of the most bizarre things to see on the Super Bowl 55 futures is that the Los Angeles Chargers are among the front runners (or second-tier, if you will) at +1600. That’s a surprisingly short price for a team that finished 5-11 last season and is currently expected to have Taylor as their starting quarterback.

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Of course, this likely prices in the fact that the Chargers are going to upgrade at this position – possibly even landing Tom Brady. It’s hard to imagine that these futures hold at this current price if the team ends up with Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater or even Tua Tagovailoa.

Is There a Chance Rivers Returns?

Although it hasn’t been confirmed by the team, by all other accounts, it looks like the Chargers have moved on from Rivers. Originally, the odds were at -175 that he’d return. However, Rivers has moved his family permanently to Florida while ESPN’s reporting has suggested that the Chargers have moved on. Don’t expect to see him back in Los Angeles next year.

Who’ll Start for Chargers?

The Chargers have a roster that’s probably not far off from competing from a playoff spot but it won’t be with Taylor under center. Taylor is a solid backup and a decent short-term fill-in. As a starter, he doesn’t cut the mustard, which is why teams like the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns have upgraded over him in the past.

The Chargers have some decent options out there but Bridgewater won’t be one of them. To me, he’s not much of an upgrade over Taylor. If the team does get one of the rookie quarterbacks – either Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert – I don’t see either starting in Week 1.

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At this point, I kind of like taking a flier on Andy Dalton. He’s at +1800 but he makes a lot of sense for this team. He could step in and possibly even be an upgrade over Rivers. While so many teams are focused on signing Brady, Drew Brees and Dak Prescott, Dalton could be a very good under-the-radar fit.

Philip Rivers 2020 Roster Odds

Team Odds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +200
Indianapolis Colts +300
Carolina Panthers +400
Oakland Raiders +400
Miami Dolphins +550
New Orleans Saints +2000
Tennessee Titans +2000
Dallas Cowboys +3300
New England Patriots +3300

Where Will Rivers Land?

With Rivers on his way out, there are some questions as to where his next job might be. At this point, it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are favored, which makes sense with the fact that Rivers has moved his family to Florida. On the surface, that would seem to be the place where he wants to be.

Beyond that, the Bucs are coached by Bruce Arians, who has previously worked with veteran quarterbacks like Rivers – quarterbacks who were in the twilights of their careers and deemed to be “done”. Arians got plenty of mileage out of Carson Palmer with the Arizona Cardinals and Rivers might do the same in Tampa Bay.

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The Bucs are a team that’s not far away from being a playoff contender. They were 7-9 last season and that’s with Jameis Winston throwing 30 interceptions – including seven pick-sixes. If Rivers comes in and still brings the aggressive, gunslinger mentality, but cuts down on the mistakes, he would be an excellent fit.

The Bucs have really tried to mold Winston into a quality starter but he’s not able to curtail the mistakes. Rivers brings leadership and experience, and those are intangibles that are questioned with Winston.

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In terms of some of the other options, I don’t see Rivers going to the Indianapolis Colts as they’re probably going to stick it out with Jacoby Brissett and/or get a young player for the future in the draft.

The Carolina Panthers look like they’re heading for a rebuild, so Rivers might not make sense, and the Las Vegas Raiders probably feel like Derek Carr is about the same – if not better – than Rivers.

The Rivers-Bucs marriage makes plenty of sense for both sides. I’d make that bet as that seems like the likeliest solution.


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