Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers has one year left on the four-year extension he signed in 2015 with the Chargers. In this picture, Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts during the fourth quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Jan. 13, 2019. Elsa/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Chargers needed a win their Monday night match to stay relevant in the AFC playoff picture. However, thanks in part to Philip Rivers’ four interceptions, they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 24-17 and have dropped to 4-7.

FiveThirtyEight now puts their playoff chances at less than 1 percent, dropping from 20 percent before kickoff. The game against the Chiefs is exactly the situation that a franchise quarterback is paid to face -- a team that is down and needs a game-tying drive in the final moments to force overtime and perhaps steal the win.

Rivers, however, wasn’t able to lead the Chargers to that equalizing touchdown. His final throw of the game ended in an interception that was typical of his performance on the day. His one touchdown and four interceptions only earned Rivers a QB rating of 22.8.

However, that number clashes with Rivers’ salary of $23 million for the 2019 NFL season. Just how much money does that translate into per interception from Monday’s loss to the Chiefs? Well, that $23 million divided by the 16 games of the regular season works out to $1,437,500 for each week that the team plays.

Rivers attempted 52 passes against the Chiefs, meaning the Chargers paid their quarterback $27,644.23 per throw. That seems like good value for money in the modern NFL but when a quarterback has a game as Rivers had Monday, it feels like wasted salary.

All in all, the Los Angeles Chargers paid Rivers $110,576.92 for all four interceptions. How much has he earned per interception so far in the regular season?

The team has played 11 games, so Rivers has earned $15,812,500 in salary so far this year. He has also attempted 416 passes, making each throw worth $38,010.82. Rivers has surrendered 14 interceptions in those 11 games, meaning that the Los Angeles Chargers have paid their quarterback $532,151.44 for giving the ball to the other team in the 2019 NFL regular season.

The 37-year-old will see his contract expire at the end of this season after, presumably, missing the playoffs. After seeing the numbers behind Philip Rivers’ struggles this season, it is difficult to imagine that he will be the starting QB for any NFL franchise in 2020.

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