Los Angeles Chargers ex-quarterback, Philip Rivers was replaced by Justin Herbert after he joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2019. Herbert had secured a five-year deal with the Chargers worth $262.5 million as a quarterback which roughly equates to $52.5 million per year. When you look at Rivers’ contract with the Chargers, Herbert’s seems like a big leap in the paycheck numbers.
Philip Rivers: LA Chargers Contract
Rivers joined the LA Chargers back in 2004 as a backup quarterback to the legendary Drew Brees. However, Rivers quickly became an essential part of the team as he took on the role of the main quarterback in the franchise. The 41-year-old played 17 NFL seasons as one of the best quarterbacks in the business for the Chargers. However, even his extension contract seems like a joke when compared with Justin Herbert’s five-year signing deal.
Philip Rivers played his extended four-year contract season for $84 million i.e., $21 million per year. Herbert, on the other hand, is making a fortune compared to what Rivers made. The ex-quarterback’s accumulative salary as a Chargers NFL player for 17 seasons makes up a total of $250 million which is still less than what Herbert will make in just five years.
It really is a testament to the evolution of the NFL over the years. Quarterbacks have become much more important in recent years than they were. Earlier, teams invested heavily in running backs players. However, the tables have turned and running backs are now seeing cheaper contract deals as compared to the quarterbacks. Recently, Cowboys head coach Jerry Jones had also spoken out about the NFL becoming more quarterback-friendly.
“And the system has gotten more, relative to the budgets you have, it’s gotten more quarterback friendly and less running back friendly. That’s the game as it is today.”
Also, the popularity of the NFL has risen significantly in the past few years. This is also a contributing factor towards management shelling out bigger paychecks for outstanding quarterbacks.
Philip Rivers vs Justin Herbert
Most people would argue that Herbert is getting paid for what he’s offering. But is that the case? Looking at Philip Rivers’ game stats from 2006 until his retirement in 2020, his passer rating was 95.3, which is quite similar to Justin Herbert’s current rating of 96.2. Throughout his career, the ex-quarterback of the Chargers averaged 4219.5 yards per season. However, the current quarterback, Herbert, has an average of 4696.3 yards per season, but it’s worth noting that he now plays in a league with 17 regular season games, while Rivers played a few lesser.
The younger quarterback, Herbert, has surpassed the stats of the man he replaced in terms of touchdowns, interceptions, and completion percentage. Herbert has an average of 31.3 touchdowns, 11.7 interceptions, and a 66.9 per cent completion rate per season.
In comparison, Philip Rivers had 28 touchdowns, 13.9 interceptions, and a 64.9 per cent completion rate during his time as a starter. When looking solely at the first three seasons of Rivers’ career, his touchdown average drops to 25.7, interceptions remain the same as Herbert’s at 11.7, and his completion percentage decreases to 62.4 per cent.
There is certainly a difference between Herbert’s and Rivers’ stats but it is quite marginal to compare. With all that’s said, it is quite obvious that Rivers would’ve made about the same as Herbert, had he joined as a fresh quarterback in the NFL today.
