Fair or not, legitimate or not, rumors of San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers' availability in trade either before or during the 2015 NFL Draft continues to swirl.
While Chargers GM Tom Telesco and head coach Mike McCoy have remained mostly silent on the issue other than to state that they love Rivers and would like to see him finish his career a Charger, what could the San Diego brass realistically expect in return on a potential deal for Rivers?
"A lot of people believe that it would take at least two first-round picks," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported recently, via Walter Football.
The Chargers are reportedly very high on former Oregon signal-caller and Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota. Rivers has been adamant that he won't negotiate a contract extension with the Chargers until his current deal runs out at the end of this season. Combined with the franchise's potential relocation to Los Angeles and Rivers' stated lack of desire to move to L.A. and it's not hard to connect the dots and see a parting of ways as the healthiest outcome for all involved parties.
There's also the fact that Rivers' former offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, is now the head coach of the Tennessee Titans - the team the Chargers would likely have to trade up with in the 2015 NFL Draft were they serious about obtaining Mariota.
Whisenhunt has, as HNGN reported this week, targeted Rivers as the quarterback with which he would prefer to enter the 2015 NFL season.
If Schefter's report of "at least" two first-round picks for Rivers is accurate, that means the Chargers would likely be able to move from No. 17, their current position in the first-round of April's draft, to No. 2 by trading just Rivers.
According to the NFL Draft Trade Value Chart, the No. 2 pick is worth 2,600 points and the No. 17 pick is worth 950. Assuming Rivers is worth at least two mid-first-round picks himself and potentially more, per Schefter, it seems that Rivers and the No. 17 pick for the No. 2 pick would be a fair trade - at least from a value standpoint.
Of course, this all assumes that Rivers is worth what Schefter says he's worth and that Whisenhunt is willing to trade the opportunity to draft a much younger, much more athletically gifted signal-caller in Mariota in order to land Rivers, a talented, consummate professional, no doubt, but one who is 33 and quickly approaching the end of his NFL career.
In the end, what it comes down to is fit.
If Whisenhunt believes Mariota doesn't fit his scheme and that Rivers is the guy to take the reins of the traditional Titans offense, then there clearly seems to be a trade to be made.
It's also a matter of compensation - with the Chargers reportedly among a handful of teams looking to move up to the Titans spot, it may wind up taking more than what can logically be considered "fair value" in order to outbid the other suitors.
Then again, if Whisenhunt's reported ardor for Rivers is real, the Chargers may have an ace in the hole that no other team can match.
