Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco made it clear in January that quarterback Philip Rivers, who enters the final year of his contract, was “not going anywhere.”
Telesco said previously that talks had not begun, and he didn’t let on during a Tuesday appearance on NFL Network’s Up to the Minute if he recently talked to Rivers’ representatives.
In a perfect world, the Chargers should view getting something done before the start of the regular season. Telesco, however, said he doesn’t have a set schedule on when he’d like to get the business side of football taken care of when it comes to the team’s franchise quarterback.
“I don’t really have a timetable on it,” Telesco said. “We wanted to get through free agency, get through the draft, see where we are right now and we’ll look at it from here and through the draft. But I really don’t have any firm timetable on it. I’m very comfortable where we are right now. We’ll talk with everybody and see where we are.”
The Chargers have time to address Rivers’ contract situation, of course. And the team currently has the financial resources with $15 million in available salary cap space.
The 37-year-old Rivers, who will earn a base salary of $11 million under his current contract, certainly put himself in position for a lucrative extension. He led the Chargers to a 12-4 record in 2018 and finished the season with 4,308 yards passing and 32 touchdowns.
Telesco said the Chargers believe Rivers “has a lot of good football in front of him” and the general manager indicates something will eventually get done.
“I think everybody knows what our intentions are and how we feel about Phillip,” Telesco said. “He’s our leader, he’s our quarterback.”
Now, it’s a matter of when will the Chargers take care of the player who has meant so much to the organization over the past decade.