SAN DIEGO _ Let's talk Philip Rivers and his NFL future. Others are.
It's said Rivers this winter, when he'll be 38, either will retire or join another NFL team.
That's the stated view of three Super Bowl alums who are CBS Sports analysts.
Phil Simms and Bill Cowher said Sunday they doubt Rivers plays next year, while their colleague Boomer Esiason said Rivers will return in 2020 but with a new team.
My guess: Rivers plays with the 2020 Chargers.
A lot seems up in the air, though.
For instance: Say the Chargers (2-5) were to free-fall into a 4-12 season and sustain injuries that affect their 2020 potential. What then?
Now let's talk money.
The rate for veteran franchise quarterbacks is about $35 million.
Rivers is in his contract year, a reminder that an extension didn't get done last summer despite team bosses and Rivers praising each other publicly.
As for his NFL future beyond this year, Rivers has said he wants to play in the Inglewood stadium, still under construction, where the team's nominal home games are scheduled for next year.
Also, he's said he likes the idea of spending his whole career with one team.
My logic that he stays with the Chargers _ if, of course, he decides to continue playing _ has more to do with his family dynamic.
Instead of moving to Orange County when Dean Spanos and his three siblings transplanted the team to Costa Mesa in July 2017, Rivers stayed in San Diego to ensure lifestyle continuity, mostly for his wife and eight children.
He has praised the arrangement, saying the commute isn't a big hassle because he does NFL homework in the back of a luxury SUV and arrives home in time for family dinners.
Lately, the Rivers roots in San Diego have plunged deeper. A seventh daughter arrived last spring, about when wife Tiffany launched her own company.
So with the Rams not a Rivers option because they're tied to quarterback Jared Goff, there's only one NFL team whose locale would allow Rivers and family to maintain their San Diego lifestyles and continuity.
Right, that would be Team Spanos.
For the Spanoses, having Rivers aboard for the 2020 season could hold appeal beyond the football implications. The team is selling inventory for the Inglewood venue; retaining Rivers with the 2020 franchise tag, or a new deal, seemingly would support those efforts.
For now, there are football puzzles to be sorted out.
The blocking unit in front of Rivers is short on talent. Even with left tackle Russell Okung expected to make his season debut Sunday in Chicago, should GM Tom Telesco look to add a lineman or a tight end before Tuesday's trade deadline?
The offense's habit of turning the ball over in scoring range, of course, is a problem.
Chargers coaches may want to inject new tempo, if only as a change of pace. A no-huddle offense, now and again, could help Rivers, given his chemistry with pass-catchers.
With so many hybrid quarterbacks having success in the NFL, here's a suggestion: Hold Rivers out a few plays _ he'll still get some 50-60 snaps _ while deploying a mobile quarterback. That's what Saints coach Sean Payton has done with Drew Brees in recent years, and Brees thrived.
Tyrod Taylor would spell Rivers. He's good at protecting the ball as a mobile passer, and has started 45 NFL games (23-21-1).
Or, since Chargers bosses think so highly of mobile rookie and No. 3 quarterback Easton Stick, 24, that they've devoted a precious 53-man roster spot to him through eight weeks of roster shuffling, why not use him in a change-of-pace look?
