San Diego Chargers: Top 5 Quarterbacks of All-Time

Sep 14, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throws a third quarter touchdown to tight end Antonio Gates (not pictured) while eluding the grasp of Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (92) at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Philip Rivers, 2004-Present

In choosing who was going to be on this list, I knew I had to combine the old with the new. Since the Chargers acquired Rivers in 2004, he has slowly become the face of the franchise. As it stands today, his 36,655 passing yards and 252 passing touchdowns stand only second place behind legendary QB Dan Fouts. Since ’04, Rivers has thrown for over 4,000 yards six times and in his past nine seasons, Rivers has averaged about 28 touchdowns thrown per season (amazing numbers for a relatively young signal-caller).

The main reason why Rivers deserves this spot on the countdown is because of his winning record. Of course, the pieces around him have been phenomenal, but he still has been able to lead the Chargers to the playoffs five times in nine seasons. Exceptional Chargers quarterbacks such as Fouts and John Hadl have only lead the Chargers to the playoffs four times and three times, respectively. In his career with the Bolts, Rivers has averaged basically 10 wins per season – showing that Rivers is not all about stats.

A five-time Pro Bowler, Rivers has led the league in most passing categories such as passing yards (4,710 in 2010), passing touchdowns (34 in 2008) and passer rating (105.5 in 2008).

With that considered, Rivers is one of the top quarterbacks in Chargers history. His regular-season passing success coupled with his ability to lead the franchise to the playoffs are reasons why he is one of the best. And perhaps the greatest thing of all? Rivers still has more gas left in the tank before he’s done.

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