Earlier in the week I ran an item on free-agent-to-be Philip Rivers, who's thrown more interceptions over the last five years than anyone but Jameis Winston. The Bucs are one of his prospective suitors, and there will no doubt be others. It's a Hall of Fame career he's had, and somebody will attempt to tap into that.
Throwing lots of interceptions can sometimes speak to longevity, and also having a bad year or two in the midst of an otherwise excellent career. Rivers didn't have great protection this past season, and that's also been the case at other times for him.
Three times in his 14 seasons as a starter, Rivers threw at least 20 interceptions. Since 2000, there have been five other quarterbacks with three seasons throwing that many picks.
| THREE 20-INT SEASONS, 2000-PRESENT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Year | Tm | Yds | TD | Int |
| Brett Favre | 2005 | GNB | 3881 | 20 | 29 |
| Brett Favre | 2008 | NYJ | 3472 | 22 | 22 |
| Brett Favre | 2003 | GNB | 3361 | 32 | 21 |
| Carson Palmer | 2013 | ARI | 4274 | 24 | 22 |
| Carson Palmer | 2010 | CIN | 3970 | 26 | 20 |
| Carson Palmer | 2007 | CIN | 4131 | 26 | 20 |
| Eli Manning | 2013 | NYG | 3818 | 18 | 27 |
| Eli Manning | 2010 | NYG | 4002 | 31 | 25 |
| Eli Manning | 2007 | NYG | 3336 | 23 | 20 |
| Jake Plummer | 2000 | ARI | 2946 | 13 | 21 |
| Jake Plummer | 2002 | ARI | 2972 | 18 | 20 |
| Jake Plummer | 2004 | DEN | 4089 | 27 | 20 |
| Jon Kitna | 2001 | CIN | 3216 | 12 | 22 |
| Jon Kitna | 2006 | DET | 4208 | 21 | 22 |
| Jon Kitna | 2007 | DET | 4068 | 18 | 20 |
| Philip Rivers | 2016 | SDG | 4386 | 33 | 21 |
| Philip Rivers | 2011 | SDG | 4624 | 27 | 20 |
| Philip Rivers | 2019 | LAC | 4615 | 23 | 20 |
As the list shows, a lot of those other quarterbacks were able to bounce back with strong seasons even after 20-interception years. Favre took the Vikings to the brink of a Super Bowl in 2009. Palmer did the same with the Cardinals in 2015, and Manning won a Super Bowl in 2011. All of those accomplishments came in years after they'd put up their third 20-interception season.
If Rivers were to sign with Tampa Bay, he'd be working with a great offensive coach in Bruce Arians, and one of the league's elite receiving duos in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. He'd be in a system that doesn't pay much attention to working the ground game, and also one where throwing fewer interceptions than his predecessor (Winston threw 30 last year) should be a piece of cake.
But with all of those quarterbacks mentioned above -- Favre, Palmer, Manning -- age had caught up to them by the final seasons of their careers. Favre was bad in 2010. Manning was benched in each of his last two seasons. Palmer (who Arians worked with) was pretty cooked at the end.
I think Rivers might have enough left to have a productive season in Tampa Bay, or wherever he signs. If the protection is good, and other things are right around him, it's possible. But throwing 20 interceptions again wouldn't be surprising, either.
--Andy Richardson