Fooch’s update: One more denial.
One more time, Philip Rivers is not pushing a trade to 49ers. He has no-trade clause. He's fine with LA. From Philip.
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) January 17, 2017
Late Monday night, a Bay Area freelance sports writer David Barclay reported Philip Rivers wanted a trade from the Los Angeles Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers were interested. A Chargers beat writer was quick to shoot that down.
Now it would appear this might have at least some semblance of legs. Huffington Post sports columnist Jordan Schultz tweeted that he hears there is something real to all this.
Hearing Phillip Rivers forcing a trade to #49ers is real. Disappointed in the LA move and wants to have say in GM/coach hiring process.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 17, 2017
This adds a little something extra with Rivers wanting a say in the GM/coach hiring process. I don’t know whether or not to buy it, but still, this is something. The Chargers beat writer said Philip Rivers said the first report was news to him. That doesn’t mean the report is false, but there is some kind of game going on here. I just wish I knew what it was.
I get that Rivers can see some value in a potential power play like this, but if you are the 49ers and are down to Kyle Shanahan and Tom Cable as your finalists, and a handful of GM candidates, do you make this kind of deal without some kind of assurances elsewhere? Maybe Rivers wants to play for Shanahan after seeing what he did in Atlanta the past two years? I’m open to ideas because this whole thing is out of left field.