Prior to the NFL Draft last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was a classmate in the same draft class as Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, to a two-year contract extension. Now, days after the draft, the Chargers are looking to extend their own franchise passer, Philip Rivers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Despite drafting North Dakota St. QB Easton Stick in round 6, the Chargers still want to sign Philip Rivers to a contract extension this off-season. Draft classmate Ben Roethlisberger got his Wednesday and Rivers is not likely to be far behind.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2019
Los Angeles Chargers Seek Extension With QB Rivers
It’s no secret that Philip Rivers would be delighted to stay in Los Angeles until his final NFL game but after Ben Roethlisberger’s latest contract, the Chargers figure to have a lot of financial work to do. Pittsburgh and the face of their franchise agreed to a two-year contract worth a whopping $68 million dollars.
With Rivers, his contract figures to look nearly identical to Roethlisberger’s, but worth a little more. For prediction’s sake, Rivers is likely looking at a two-year deal worth more than $70 million. Some have argued that such a massive amount of money over such a short amount of time is nothing but bad for the team and its salary cap. But, there is no position more important than quarterback, so when you have one that can lead a team for as long as the likes of Roethlisberger and Rivers have, they deserve to be paid that handsomely.
Predicting Rivers’ New Deal
According to Spotrac, Rivers’ market value for a new contract is a three-year deal worth $93.6 million. The salary over the course of that particular deal would be $31.2 million, $2.8 million less than Roethlisberger’s $34 million salary. Though a $93.6 million deal for Rivers sounds massive and terrible for Los Angeles’ salary cap, the deal would include multiple bonuses and incentives, which help soften the blow. Additionally, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh benefit from not having to sign their passers to record-breaking deals, like the four-year, $140 million pact Russell Wilson signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Ultimately, though, many would agree that these $30 million or more per year contracts for quarterbacks are getting a tad outrageous. Yes, players like Wilson, Roethlisberger, and Rivers are deserving of it for their leadership, but soon it will be much, much cheaper for NFL teams to simply draft new quarterbacks every four or five years.
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