Melvin Gordon Thinks Philip Rivers Signs with Colts: 'Probably the Best Fit'

Philip Rivers has a lot of options ahead of free agency, but former teammate Melvin Gordon thinks the veteran quarterback will end up with the Indianapolis Colts.

"I think he'll go to the Colts," Gordon said Monday on CBS Sports (h/t ESPN's Adam Schefter). "I don't know, that's just my thought. He has Nick (Sirianni) there, the (OC), he came from here. They run the same playbook, so it'd be easy, he could come right in....That's probably the best fit."

Nick Sirianni is going into his third year as the Colts offensive coordinator after spending his previous five years with the Chargers, including two seasons as a quarterback coach.

Colts head coach Frank Reich also spent three seasons with the Chargers, working as a quarterback coach in 2013 before becoming the offensive coordinator for 2014-15.

According to The Podfather, Sirianni has been "openly recruiting" Rivers to go to Indianapolis. 

Though the Chargers went 4-12 the last time all three were together (2015), the quarterback did set a career high with 4,792 passing yards that year.

Rivers' relationship with the coaching staff could help ease the transition after spending his first 16 years in the NFL with the same franchise. The Chargers announced last week they were parting ways with the veteran after a 5-11 season, creating rare uncertainty for a player who had made 224 straight starts. 

Despite a disappointing 2019, the quarterback is confident in a turnaround next season.

"I think I have the ability left to go play at a high level," he said, per Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.

He could potentially represent an upgrade over Jacoby Brissett, who struggled with consistency for the Colts last season after taking over for Andrew Luck, who shockingly retired before the season. The team finished 7-9 in 2019 one year after reaching the divisional round of the playoffs.

Adding an experienced passer familiar with the system could help the Colts return to contention in the AFC South.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened as the betting favorites to land Rivers, per FanDuel Sportsbook, but the Colts had the second-best odds and appear to be a good fit for the quarterback.