Former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts have reached an agreement on a one-year, $25 million deal, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Signing Rivers to a one-year contract could allow the Colts, who don’t have a first-round draft pick, an opportunity to select a quarterback in the draft and use the year for him to learn behind Rivers.
Rivers replaces Jacoby Brissett as the starter next season. The Colts only gave Brissett a two-year contract last September in order to see if he was ready to become their next franchise quarterback after Andrew Luck‘s surprising retirement. Brissett led the Colts to a 5-2 start, but a knee injury and accuracy problems caused him to struggle down the stretch.
On the same day the Carolina Panthers gave Cam Newton permission to seek a trade that he says he didn’t ask for, the team agreed to give free-agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a three-year, $63 million deal, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The contract is expected to be done by the time the new league year begins Wednesday, the source said.
Bridgewater has been a hot commodity since he had a strong showing while filling in for the injured Drew Brees in New Orleans last season. Bridgewater went 5-0 as a starter, saving a promising season.
The New Orleans Saints are keeping their record-setting quarterback by giving Drew Brees a two-year, $50 million contract, according to a person familiar with the situation. Brees has said repeatedly that he is taking career decisions one year at a time. His new contract gives the 41-year-old, 19-year veteran the leverage to decide after this season whether he wants to continue playing. Brees is the NFL’s all-time leader in completions with 6,867, yards passing with 77,416, and touchdowns with 547.