How Would a Super Bowl Win Change the Legacy of Philip Rivers?

The 37-year-old quarterback has never made it past the AFC Championship Game.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 06: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 06, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 06: Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens during the first quarter in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 06, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Getty Images

In barroom discussions across the country about the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and maybe even Russell Wilson are usually all mentioned.

Despite finding success in the league for well over a decade, Philip Rivers is not.

However, that could all change for the 37-year-old quarterback if he is finally able to make it to, and win, a Super Bowl this season.

Despite compiling a sparkling record of 118-90 over 15 seasons in the NFL, Rivers has never made it past the AFC Championship Game and has yet to play on Super Sunday.

That’s one of the big reasons that Rivers, despite being eighth on the all-time career passing yards list, is never mentioned in the same breath as Wilson, Brady, Brees or Rodgers or even lesser quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl wins like  Eli Manning and Ben Roethlistberger.

While Rivers wouldn’t be able to catch up to Brady, Manning or Roethlistberger’s amount of titles with a Super Bowl win, he would at least be able to tie with Wilson, Brees and Rodgers and get his name back in the elite quarterback conversation with a victory.

“Every team has a lot on the line these next three rounds. Plenty of coaches and players at other positions will rewrite their stories based on what we see unfold. But arguably nobody stands more to gain from getting to be the guy holding the Lombardi Trophy in a cloud of confetti than Philip Rivers,” according to Sports Illustrated. “Rivers has the most to gain because he has the most on the line. To date, he has had a very good, very long career, however he’s missing one key thing. At 37, he is also running out of chances to get it.”

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.