The New Orleans Saints should sign Philip Rivers
If it came down to the New Orleans Saints drawing a quarterback out of retirement, we all know who Sean Payton would want it to be. Drew Brees played his last NFL game in January, but there’s a possibility that he could make a return to the game of football. Although he hasn’t explicitly said that he’s willing to stage a comeback like Philip Rivers has.
Where’s Rivers at right now? Well, he just wrapped up his first season of coaching high school football in his home state of Alabama. He retired after leading the Indianapolis Colts to an 11-5 record last season. Rivers had spent the previous 16 years in California with the Chargers.
Sean Payton has a proven track record of winning with the Saints regardless of who’s at quarterback. Look at what he did with Winston through the first eight weeks of the season. Winston, who was known for his high interception percentage, threw 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions before his season ended with a torn ACL. Rivers had a solid season for Indianapolis last year, so with Payton’s guidance, he would be a great fit for New Orleans.
What could be drawing Rivers back to football is the fact that he never competed in a Super Bowl. If he would’ve won a ring before retiring, there’d be no need to return for a shot at playing on the league’s largest stage.
Philip Rivers tells me he hasn’t heard from the Saints but would listen.
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) November 2, 2021
New Orleans Saints have nothing to lose by signing Philip Rivers
There it is. Unlike Brees, Rivers has specifically said that he’d listen to calls from the Saints. Is that enough for New Orleans to pick up the phone and dial his number, though?
Sure, Trevor Siemian had a good game on Sunday after replacing Winston. He completed 16 of his 29 pass attempts for 159 yards and a touchdown in a 36-27 win over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Even with an impressive performance, Siemian isn’t necessarily a reliable option.
Taysom Hill, who didn’t suit up for New Orleans’ previous two games due to a concussion, has been with the Saints since 2017 and has only thrown for a total of four touchdowns. Granted he was playing behind Brees, and then Teddy Bridgewater, but still.
Rivers threw for 63,440 yards and 421 touchdowns while he was in the league. He’s gone as far to say that he’d actually listen to New Orleans if they were to make a pitch to lure him out of retirement. Payton said prior to the trade deadline that he was satisfied with the Saints’ three quarterbacks (Siemian, Hill, and Ian Book), but that was before Rivers mentioned his availability.
If New Orleans wants to make a push to win the NFC South and go on to have a deep postseason run resulting in what all Saints fans are yearning for, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to delve into what it would take to add Rivers’ name to the roster.
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New Orleans could use his experience, guidance, and his arm.