Philip Rivers Rumors: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts In Possible Two-Team Race For QB

It might be a two-team race in pursuit of Philip Rivers. All but a couple of destinations are considered to be long-shot landing spots for the veteran quarterback.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the betting favorites to sign Rivers with even odds at DraftKings Sportsbook and +170 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. DraftKings gives the Indianapolis Colts +150 odds to acquire Rivers. The quarterback has +200 odds to join Indianapolis at FanDuel.

It’s unknown if Tampa Bay will decide to keep Jameis Winston. The Bucs are expected to either use the franchise tag on Winston or search for a new starter in free agency. Tampa Bay’s former No.1 overall pick led the NFL in both yards and interceptions last season. He hasn’t been to the playoffs since the Bucs drafted him in 2015.

Forced to make Jacoby Brissett their starting quarterback in the wake of Andrew Luck’s retirement, the Colts went 7-9 in the 2019 season. Josh Allen was the only quarterback that started more than 10 games and averaged fewer passing yards per game than Brissett. Colts head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni both coached Rivers with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Given Bruce Arians’ insistence on waiting to see what’s behind Door No. 2 in free agency and his belief that there may only be two QBs available, would Philip Rivers make sense for the Bucs? https://t.co/NQ6l3jMmFT
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) February 17, 2020

Melvin Gordon to @CBSSports on Philip Rivers: “I think he’ll go to the Colts. I don’t know, that’s just my thought. He has Nick (Sirianni) there, the (OC), he came from here. They run the same playbook, so it’d be easy, he could come right in....That’s probably the best fit.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 17, 2020

The odds suggest the Las Vegas Raiders are a distant No.3 suitor for Rivers. The Raiders have +1000 odds to sign Rivers at both DraftKings and FanDuel. Derek Carr has three years left on his contract, though Las Vegas could move on from the quarterback fairly easily.

Both sportsbooks give the Chicago Bears +1200 odds to sign Rivers. The Miami Dolphins have no better than +1000 odds at either sportsbook.

DraftKings gives the Carolina Panthers +900 odds to ink Rivers to a contract. Carolina’s odds dip to +1400 at FanDuel.

Los Angeles and Rivers mutually agreed to part ways several weeks before the official start of free agency. The quarterback has spent his entire 16-year career with the Chargers.

Rivers threw for 4.615 yards, 23 touchdowns, 20 interceptions and an 88.5 passer rating in 2019.