San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is entering the final year of his contract. Normally, a franchise QB on the last year of his deal would get an extension right away. But Rivers has been reluctant to talk about a new deal with a possible move to L.A. hanging of the franchise's head.
"There is nothing new to report," Rivers said when asked about his contract status.
Fans worried that Rivers is about to bolt from the Chargers can relax just a bit. The team can still slap him with the franchise tag next year to keep him in town, though that would cost north of $17 million, $20 million and $25 million if they chose to use it over the next three years, respectively.
So how will the Chargers handle this situation?
"If a long-term deal doesn't get done, the Chargers would have to decide whether to give Rivers the exclusive franchise tag or the nonexclusive tag," ESPN's John Clayton wrote. "The exclusive tag prevents a player from negotiating with other teams but comes at a higher price. Currently, the exclusive tag for 2016 calculates to $25.2 million. That number, which is based off the top contracts at the position, would drop if any of the high-priced quarterbacks - perhaps [Ben] Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco or Drew Brees - restructured their deals to lower their cap numbers for next year.
"A nonexclusive tag would be more affordable but riskier for the Chargers because another team could sign Rivers, even though it would have to hand over two-first round picks to do so. Buffalo, Cleveland, the New York Jets and maybe Houston would consider giving up two first-rounders in order to sign a franchise quarterback."
Neither option is ideal for obvious reasons. The Chargers want to lock Rivers up to an extension and secure their future with a top flight quarterback at the helm. But are they in danger of actually losing him?
"Here's the way this should play out," Clayton wrote. "The [Chargers] first will figure out the stadium situation. Then they can come to Rivers and finalize some kind of deal. They might have to kick in a little more money in order for Rivers to put on a Los Angeles Chargers uniform. He's with Chargers fans; he wants the Chargers to stay in San Diego. Either way, it's highly unlikely he isn't playing for the Chargers in 2016."
