RADIO
Fantasy footballers, today we are going to remember the career of the durable, non-cussing QB Philip Rivers, whose fantastic career spanned across 17 seasons (16 with Chargers, one with Colts). The 39-year-old officially retired on January 20, 2021.
Rivers only reached one conference championship game in which he played in legendary fashion on a torn ACL but he never made it to a Super Bowl. Nevertheless, he broke many passing records and will be remembered as an all-time great signal-caller with a unique throwing style after being drafted as the fourth pick in the 2004 draft out of North Carolina State.
Rivers will now go on to coach high school football in Alabama but let’s remember his NFL career first.
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Remembering Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers spent his career with the Chargers except for his last NFL season being a stint with Indy. Throughout his career, the QB displayed remarkable consistency and durability, playing in all 16 games during 15 of 17 seasons. He also threw for at least 4,000 yards in 12 of his 17 seasons, which was in 12 of his 13 final seasons.
Rivers was as consistent as they came and although he only finished in the top-10 among fantasy QBs twice since 2013, fantasy managers could always rely on him as a fantastic streaming option or low-end starting QB for their fantasy team any season because they knew what they were getting with them.
The QB never had a truly elite standout season, however, that is absolutely fine considering his streak of 4,000+ yard seasons throughout his career. Rivers also threw 20+ touchdowns in 15 of his last 17 seasons while overall finishing with six total seasons of his career where he threw at least 30 touchdowns.
Perhaps one of Rivers' most notable fantasy seasons came in 2010 with San Diego, when he posted 4,710 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 13 picks en route to a fourth-place fantasy finish among QBs. Though this season was about on par with his other seasons from a statistical perspective, it was Rivers’ best fantasy finish of his career.
Other honorable mentions include 2008, where the QB finished with 4,009 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 11 picks for a fifth-place finish among fantasy QBs.
Philip Rivers proved he was a consistent fantasy option throughout his career and while he never had that one elite statistical season, he always managed to provide fantasy owners with great numbers week-in and week-out each year. His value may have been underappreciated for the majority of his career in the fantasy world, where consistency goes a long way toward winning.
Legacy
While Philip Rivers has never had much success in the postseason, he still leaves behind a well-carved legacy in the NFL and on the Chargers. The QB finished with the all-time most completed passes (4,908), passing yards (59,271), and passing touchdowns (397) in Chargers team history.
He will be remembered among the most prolific passers of his generation such as Eli Manning, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. Though Rivers sometimes threw picks at the most inopportune times, fantasy footballers can only remember the dadgum good times the QB supplied in fantasy throughout the years. Shoot, we’ll never forget you and your impact on the field, Philip Rivers.
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