Rumor: The San Diego Chargers Gave Doug Whaley A Phone Call About Trading For Rivers

[The Jokeman]

I don't know what Buffalo has to offer the Chargers, but I would give them their pick of any QB on the team & Dareus OR two first rnd picks in the next two drafts, their choice.

Dareus is arguably our best defensive player. We lose him we lose the defense.I'm not a favor of trading multiple picks either as this team isn't a "Bledsoe" away from making the playoffs.

[BillsImpossible]

No quantity of 2s and 3s and future 1s is going to get us the Mariota pick. There are too many teams with 1s, including San Diego and Philly, who can out bid us.

I really don't think any team is going to trade up to get Mariota. He never took a snap under center in college and has to learn how to play in an NFL offense.

http://espn.go.com/blog/san-diego-ch...r-the-chargers

The Chargers are looking at Petty, Grayson, and Mariota. If anything, the Chargers are looking to add future draft picks instead of giving them up for a quarterback that is going to need time to develop.

The 2016 quarterback draft class looks to be much deeper than this year with players like Connor Cook, Cardale Jones, and Dak Prescott to name a few.

Even if the Bills have a 1st round pick in 2016, it's not going to be high enough to draft one of the best QB's.

The Bills are going to be better than last year, and will more than likely draft anywhere from pick 20 on up provided they finish 10-6 or better.

[WagonCircler]

I really don't think any team is going to trade up to get Mariota. He never took a snap under center in college and has to learn how to play in an NFL offense.

http://espn.go.com/blog/san-diego-ch...r-the-chargers

The Chargers are looking at Petty, Grayson, and Mariota. If anything, the Chargers are looking to add future draft picks instead of giving them up for a quarterback that is going to need time to develop.

The 2016 quarterback draft class looks to be much deeper than this year with players like Connor Cook, Cardale Jones, and Dak Prescott to name a few.

Even if the Bills have a 1st round pick in 2016, it's not going to be high enough to draft one of the best QB's.

The Bills are going to be better than last year, and will more than likely draft anywhere from pick 20 on up provided they finish 10-6 or better.

OK, but in your earlier scenario, you had the Bills making an implausible/impossible deal in which the Bills acquired the Mariota pick and dealt him to the Chargers, no?

If The Chargers want Mariota, why involve Buffalo at all?

[BillsImpossible]

OK, but in your earlier scenario, you had the Bills making an implausible/impossible deal in which the Bills acquired the Mariota pick and dealt him to the Chargers, no?

If The Chargers want Mariota, why involve Buffalo at all?

That wasn't me.

[paladin warrior]

If I'm the Chargers I want both the 2 and 3 this year and the Bills 1 and 2 next year

if they want players the Bills have to part with Dareus and likely some picks

He is good QB. Thank and no Thank. Charger want to trade... Charger should try trade to AZ phoenix

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Some of the projections have Mariota going anywhere from 2-6. San Diego would only need to move up 11 picks (assuming he falls to #6) and if they gave their #17 pick and their 2016 1st they could get up to take Mariota. I would imagine any trade for Rivers that involved us would involve our 2016 1st going to SD at a minimum. That just me speculating at how it would work.

Well if we were trading for Rivers, doing so without at least having a contract framework in place or making the 2016 picks conditional on a re-sign would be insanely risky. Setting up a draft day three-teamer and reaching an agreement with Rivers by Thursday seems like too many moving parts. Especially considering our cap issues and doing the deal with Oakland or New York involves an intradivision trade which most teams avoid.

[BillsImpossible]

If Rex Ryan takes an excellent defense with an average quarterback to the AFC Championship Game again, the Bills will have the 28th pick at best in 2016.

If the Bills make the playoffs, their 1st round draft pick won't be worth much.

Trade it now.

Better days had an interesting idea - giving up 2 first round draft picks for Rivers. One in 2016 and one in 2017.

29th and 32nd hopefully.

[WagonCircler]

Better days had an interesting idea - giving up 2 first round draft picks for Rivers. One in 2016 and one in 2017..

This would be worth exploring, but your OP, getting Rivers and SD's #1 pick, would be really unattainable.

I honestly think that the current Bills roster plus Rivers could contend for the Super Bowl.

[BillsImpossible]

IlluminatusUIUC mentioned Rivers' contract.

His cap hit in 2015 is $17.4 million for the Chargers.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/san-diego...philip-rivers/

[better days]

Dareus is arguably our best defensive player. We lose him we lose the defense.I'm not a favor of trading multiple picks either as this team isn't a "Bledsoe" away from making the playoffs.

I understand Dareus is the best Defensive player, but a QB trumps all.

IMO, Rivers signed to a long term contract would be worth Dareus or two first rnd picks.

And with Pegula as owner there is always free agency to replace lost picks or players.

[better days]

And I should add, with Rex as HC of the Bills the Defense will be very good even without a great player like Dareus.

And, free agents will want to come to Buffalo with the talent on this team & Rex as HC & Pegula will pay them to do so.

[Meathead]

so wagon is a gigolo to the elderly. somehow i always knew that

[YardRat]

Well, lets look at these Cities in Relation to Rivers:

1) New Orleans: Has Brees, a trade possibility I guess.

2) LA: Rivers does not want to play in LA

3) Pittsburgh: Has Big Ben so no possibility of Rivers going there.

4) Denver: Has Manning this year at least, so not this year, maybe Rivers would sign there as a FA after Manning retires next year.

5) St Louis: Moving to LA, so NO.

6) Chicago: Stuck with Cutler & his STUPID contract. No way the Chargers trade for that.

I don't know what Buffalo has to offer the Chargers, but I would give them their pick of any QB on the team & Dareus OR two first rnd picks in the next two drafts, their choice.

I never made any comment regarding the likelihood of Rivers ending up in any of those cities, anyway.

I wouldn't mortgage the future for Rivers, this team isn't that close to being a Super Bowl contender where the only missing piece/question mark is QB.

[WagonCircler]

I wouldn't mortgage the future for Rivers, this team isn't that close to being a Super Bowl contender where the only missing piece/question mark is QB.

Really? Please elaborate.

[BillsImpossible]

This would be worth exploring, but your OP, getting Rivers and SD's #1 pick, would be really unattainable.

I honestly think that the current Bills roster plus Rivers could contend for the Super Bowl.

I think Whaley can pull it off. The Chargers can draft Petty or Grayson in the 2nd round, and the Bills can draft a tackle at 17.

The Chargers are in a more desperate situation. Rivers has a $17.4 million cap hit to their roster, but only a $1.6 million dead cap hit if they trade him.

[better days]

I never made any comment regarding the likelihood of Rivers ending up in any of those cities, anyway.

I wouldn't mortgage the future for Rivers, this team isn't that close to being a Super Bowl contender where the only missing piece/question mark is QB.

Well, I disagree with you Rat. IMO A GOOD QB is the only thing standing between the Bills & a Super Bowl.

Aside from QB what other AFC teams do you think have a better roster & Coaching than the Bills?

[WagonCircler]

Let EJ prove that statement this season and I will be amongst those willing to let him go.

Waste another season proving the obvious? Even Whaley is backing away from EJ.

http://www.wkbw.com/sports/pre-draft...d-ej-no-favors

In the 30-minute long meeting with the media, General Manager Doug Whaley and the team’s Director of Player Personnel, Jim Monos made the biggest waves.

First, the obvious: a declaration that most fans of the team would be willing to admit, but a confirmation nonetheless.

“We don't have a proven franchise quarterback, that's obvious,” Whaley said. “But what we wanted to do is be perfect everywhere else, where that guy doesn't have to put the game on his shoulders and be the man.”

What the Bills have done is surround themselves with three separate options at quarterback. Manuel is the holdover, while Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor are the newest challengers to the throne.

Cassel, by many accounts, is the least sexy option of the three because everyone knows what he is as a quarterback. However, that’s his biggest selling point for the Bills. They know how much or how little they can trust him with, and he has a vast amount of starting experience.

With both Taylor and Manuel, it’s different. Taylor hasn’t played substantial minutes in an NFL regular season game, while Manuel was benched for poor play.

Over his first 14 starts in two seasons, the former first-round pick struggled with intermediate accuracy, making the right reads, and using his eyes to see the whole field. During the pre-draft luncheon, the GM was asked vaguely what they look for when scouting quarterbacks.

The initial response? It’s essentially the antithesis of EJ Manuel.

“I'd have to say accuracy, decision-making, being able to play the game with his eyes,” Whaley said.

He added being able to win and leadership ability later on, but the trio of traits he led with are directly correlated to the latter two. If you have accuracy, solid decision-making, and playing the game with your eyes, the wins, leadership, and confidence will follow.

To Manuel’s credit, he knows he has a ways to go. In the offseason, he has actively been trying to work on fixing his flaws from a mechanical and accuracy standpoint. He’s enlisted the help of a noted quarterback coach, Steve DeBerg, to help improve his craft.

It’s actually a common thing for draft-eligible quarterbacks. Teams tell prospects that something in their mechanics needs to be fixed, and they attempt to change it in the pre-draft buildup.

In fact, Monos was asked about that on Monday.

“I think you have to factor it in. It’s another measuring tool but you still want to go back to the tape. That’s who they are,” the Director of Player Personnel said. “And quarterbacks especially get so scrutinized on mechanics, and they work so hard on that with their quarterback gurus now. But at the end of the day, if you can shoot a basketball, you can shoot. If you can throw a football, you can throw.”

Ouch. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the rostered quarterback that is going through the paces with a quarterback guru of his very own.

And who knows, Manuel could defy Monos’ conventional wisdom that quarterbacks are who they present themselves to be on game tape by putting together a solid training camp and preseason to win the job.

But the Bills aren’t counting on it, and at this point, neither should you. They brought in Matt Cassel not just to be a veteran presence, but to start.

Unless Manuel or Taylor flat out beats him in camp, or an injury molds the competition, that’s exactly what will happen.

More...

[YardRat]

Really? Please elaborate.

We have skill position players on offense galore, but other than that, kicking, and maybe CB everything else is relying on hope and potential.

The interior oline is a hot mess until proven otherwise, maybe even RT.
No blocking TE.
No NT or 5tech DE, unless they draft somebody who can compete right away or a current player or two steps up.
No safety opposite Williams, unless they draft somebody who can compete right away or a current player steps up.
Even LBers are 'iffy' regarding how well they can perform under Ryan.

Too many question marks.

If the team had gone a different direction at HC, retained Schwartz, and brought in a legit olineman during free agency I would probably be in the 'all we need now is a QB' camp...but they didn't.

[BillsImpossible]

In 1988 the Bills didn't have a first round draft pick.

In 1989 the Bills didn't have a first round draft pick.

In 1990 the Bills went to their first Super Bowl.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...nd_draft_picks

The Bills need a quarterback now, not later.

[WagonCircler]

We have skill position players on offense galore, but other than that, kicking, and maybe CB everything else is relying on hope and potential.

The interior oline is a hot mess until proven otherwise, maybe even RT.
No blocking TE.
No NT or 5tech DE, unless they draft somebody who can compete right away or a current player or two steps up.
No safety opposite Williams, unless they draft somebody who can compete right away or a current player steps up.
Even LBers are 'iffy' regarding how well they can perform under Ryan.

Too many question marks.

If the team had gone a different direction at HC, retained Schwartz, and brought in a legit olineman during free agency I would probably be in the 'all we need now is a QB' camp...but they didn't.

Wow. I'm a pessimist, but you take it to a new level.

I don't think Ryan is an idiot, and I think he will cater the Defense to the personnel. If this group can play at an extremely high level going from Pettine to Schwartz, they can do the same from Schwartz to Ryan.

And those skill positions galore would be supercharged (no pun intended) with Rivers at the helm of the Offense.

The OL is questionable, but there's a mix of young talent and veteran toughness and experience. There's more than enough there for a guy who gets rid of the ball as quickly and accurately as Rivers, especially when he has all the tools available to him that he would have here.

Weigh having Rivers vs. having the picks it would take to get a franchise QB in the hands of an organization that is clearly clueless when it comes to QBs, and this is the easiest call ever.

But that being said, I don't believe we have the currency to offer San Diego to get Rivers. I wish we could borrow from the Sabres.