NFL News: Philip Rivers Agrees To One-Year Deal With Indianapolis Colts

The 2020 league year in the NFL is not even 24 hours old, and it has already been one of the wildest days in history. After a morning centered around quarterbacks, the afternoon continued as former Los Angeles Chargers signal-caller Philip Rivers has found a new home for the upcoming season. Rivers has agreed to terms on a one-year deal that will have him with the Indianapolis Colts for 2020 and a chance to keep him there through 2021.

ESPN is reporting that former Chargers quarterback Rivers has come to an agreement with the Colts one the one-year deal. It is said to be worth $25 million, and this will make only the second team that Rivers has played for since being drafted by the New York Giants back in 2004.

Fans will remember that the Giants drafted Rivers and immediately traded him to the San Diego Chargers for Eli Manning.

His last season in Los Angeles was a rough one as Rivers had 23 turnovers in 2019 after having 24 combined turnovers in 2017 and 2018. His numbers were down across the board and after the season was over, it was evident that the two sides were no longer on the same page.

In January, Manning officially retired from the NFL and some thought that Rivers may end following his path. Obviously, Rivers and the Colts had something different in mind and that is what has brought about this new deal. As stated by Ian Rapoport on Twitter, the Colts could choose to use the franchise tag on Rivers after his one-year deal is up.

The #Colts agree to terms with QB Philip Rivers on a 1-year deal worth $25M, though Indy has the franchise tag for 2021 if it needs. pic.twitter.com/QeL3cVC5xF

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020

After Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement before last season, Jacoby Brissett moved up and immediately became the Colts’ starter. He led the team to a 7-9 record in his first as a full-time starter and put up some pretty decent numbers but not for the whole year. Brissett finished the year with 2,942 yards and 18 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

Some thought that Brissett was the team’s franchise quarterback of the future, but one doesn’t merely pass up someone with Rivers’ experience. Brissett certainly didn’t help himself by late-season struggles which resulted in no touchdowns nor throwing for more than 200 yards in his final three games.

Meanwhile, the Colts are now getting Rivers who is sixth all-time with 59,271 passing yards and sixth all-time in touchdown passes with 397. He is also in second place all-time with 224 consecutive regular-season starts which shows his ability to avoid injuries and play at a high level.

Drew Brees is staying put in New Orleans. Tom Brady and Cam Newton are both looking for new homes. Teddy Bridgewater has found a new starting job in Carolina. Philip Rivers is only the latest NFL quarterback to make headlines and his landing with the Colts truly shakes up the landscape of the AFC even more.