Is Philip Rivers a Hall of Famer?
As the former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback’s old teammate Antonio Gates is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, Rivers’ Canton candidacy will undoubtedly be a part of the conversation.
The eight-time Pro Bowler already became a recent topic of conversation early last week after Rivers signed a one-day contract with the Chargers to officially announce his retirement.
Rivers played 17 years in the NFL, 16 of which were with the Chargers, and accumulated a 134-106 record in his 240 consecutive starts. While he doesn’t have the rings that fellow 2004 draftees Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning have, Rivers’ consistently high level of play led to some impressive numbers in the regular season.
USA TODAY Sports examined Rivers’ career numbers and evaluated his shot at an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Philip Rivers career stats
Over his 17-year career, Rivers started 240 consecutive regular-season games – 16 per year from when he took over as the Chargers’ start in 2006 to 2020, when he played his last season with the Indianapolis Colts.
Here’s how Rivers’ career played out by the numbers:
Games: 244 (240 starts)
Record: 134-106 (.558 win percentage)
Completion rate: 5,277-of-8,134 (64.9%)
Passing yards: 63,440
Touchdowns: 421
Interceptions: 209
Passer rating: 95.2
Rivers finished his career with many accolades as well: eight Pro Bowl nods, a Comeback Player of the Year award in 2013 and several years with down-ballot MVP and Offensive Player of the Year votes.
Philip Rivers Hall of Fame chances
Rivers was one of the league’s most productive passers in history. At his peak, he had MVP potential, but his contemporaries – Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and others – tended to overshadow him.
The 17-year NFL veteran finished his career ranked fifth in career passing yards behind two Hall of Famers – Manning and Brett Favre – and two surefire future inductees – Brady and Brees. Roethlisberger passed Rivers in his one extra season of playing, and Aaron Rodgers will likely pass him this year with 500 more passing yards.
Roethlisberger and Rodgers are two other likely Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
A big part of Rivers’ productivity was his ability to stay healthy – another factor in his Hall of Fame case. After spending the first two years of his career on the San Diego bench behind Brees, Rivers took over as the starter in 2006 and never missed another start. By the time he ended his career in 2020, he had made 240 regular-season starts in a row.
Pro Football Reference has a ‘Pro Football QB Hall of Fame Monitor,’ which estimates ‘a player’s chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame using AV (Approximate Value), Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships, and various stat milestones.’ The estimation is graded on a scale, with a mark of 100 being the ‘average Hall of Fame quarterback.’
Rivers grades out at a 98.06, which is below the average mark but notably above Hall of Famers like Terry Bradshaw (95.69), Kurt Warner (88.78) and Warren Moon (71.30).
Offshore betting sites, which are unregulated and illegal in some states, have also released odds for Rivers to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer at 25/1. So while his chances of making it in immediately don’t appear high, an eventual vote into Hall of Fame is rather likely.