Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has started 176 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak for a quarterback in NFL history. But he won’t be around forever.
That’s why Chargers coach Anthony Lynn indicated at the league meeting that the Chargers will draft a quarterback who can back up the 35-year-old Rivers and compete with the 33-year-old Kellen Clemens for the No. 2 job.
“I think we do have to get a young quarterback on campus. We have to start developing someone because we have two veteran quarterbacks,” Lynn said. “Both of them are long in the tooth. I think they have some good years left in them — don’t get me wrong. But, you have to start thinking about down the line too.”
The Chargers have worked out Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes, Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and may draft one of them as the heir apparent to Rivers.
Rivers has indicated that he has no problem with the Chargers drafting a quarterback, but he also expects to start for at least a few more years. So the Chargers’ next starting quarterback may be drafted this month, even if Rivers thinks that quarterback will sit on the bench until Rivers’ streak is well over 200 consecutive games.
