SAN DIEGO — As San Diegans may have guessed, Philip Rivers tried to pull an Eric Weddle. The former Chargers quarterback, nearly two years after retiring from the NFL, reportedly showed interest late last season in joining two playoff contenders.
According to The Rich Eisen Show this week, Rivers made inquiries to the 49ers and Dolphins only for each team to go forward with a rookie.
Rivers saw friend Weddle leave retirement in January 2022 to play for the Rams, although in Weddle's case, the team reached out first.
With Weddle directing their secondary, the Rams won three playoff games and the Super Bowl, a game Rivers never had reached, either.
Rivers noticed late last season that both the 49ers and Dolphins lost their starting quarterback and top backup to injuries.
Instead of enlisting an eight-time Pro Bowler who'd spent the past two seasons coaching a high school team in Alabama, the Niners and Dolphins went with rookies Brock Purdy and Skylar Thompson, respectively. For all his experience, Rivers never had played under 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, though his former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn was on Shanahan's staff. Nor had Rivers played for Shanahan's former longtime assistant Mike McDaniel, who was Miami's first-year head coach.
Purdy rewarded Shanahan's faith by outperforming his predecessors, Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance.
The rookie recorded a 119.0 passer rating in five regular-season starts, all of them victories. In the playoffs Purdy accounted for four touchdowns and followed with a turnover-free outing, sending the 49ers to Philadelphia for their third NFC title game in four years.
The Eagles dealt Purdy a first-quarter elbow injury that will require surgery this month. Shanahan said the rookie should've avoided the edge rusher's blow by stepping up in the pocket.
If Rivers had directed the 49ers before a noisy crowd that day, it would've taken perhaps the best postseason performance of his career to produce a victory. The Eagles mounted a heavy pass rush, and their offense ran for three touchdowns with surprising ease.
Thompson, whom Miami drafted in the seventh round, 15 picks ahead of Purdy, was asked to make his first NFL start with a playoff berth on the line in Week 18. He responded with no interceptions or fumbles, enough for the Dolphins to edge the Jets in Miami.
In their playoff opener, the Dolphins took a second-half lead against the favored Bills in cold, windy Buffalo before falling, 34-31. Thompson, looking like a rookie, had three turnovers.
Seeing Rivers direct the 49ers this winter would've taken many San Diegans back to the quarterback's first season as an NFL starter.
The 2006 Chargers and 2022 Niners were similar in style, leaning on an explosive pass rush and balanced offense. San Diego's offense ran through Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. San Francisco's offense thrived after versatile All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey arrived in a midseason trade.
The '06 Chargers lost their playoff opener as a five-point favorite coming off a first-round bye. The defeat following a 14-2 joyride through the season led to what-if questions that still plague former members of that team such as linebacker Donnie Edwards, who has said he is certain the club would've gone on to win the Super Bowl. And, perhaps Rivers.
Rivers had turned 25 a month before the exasperating loss to the Patriots. Most football experts agreed he was still destined to reach a Super Bowl. Only it never happened, in six postseason visits with the Chargers and one with the 2020 Colts. For Rivers to get another shot late next season, it'll take a team believing in a quarterback who'll turn 42 in December.
