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KC Chiefs: Five landing spots for Philip Rivers and how it could affect KC

CARSON, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers shake hands after the game at StubHub Center on September 9, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers shake hands after the game at StubHub Center on September 9, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Philip Rivers #17 of the Los Angeles Chargers (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

In case you didn’t hear, the KC Chiefs recently saw a longtime foe set free from the AFC West. After 16 seasons with the Chargers, both in San Diego and Los Angeles, quarterback Philip Rivers is a free agent.

Now, technically, NFL free agency hasn’t opened yet, but teams are releasing dudes left and right out there. Philip Rivers and the Chargers agreed to “turn the page” last week, enabling both player and franchise to move in different directions.

This isn’t a total surprise.

Last month, when I took a stab at predicting each AFC West team’s starting quarterback come 2021, I had someone else in there with the Chargers, noting that it seemed like the perfect time for the Chargers to start anew due to Rivers’ age (38), poor stats in 2019, the fact that his contract would be up, and the fact that the team dipped to 5-11 after making the playoffs in 2018.

And yet, by canvassing the current quarterback landscape in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs may not have seen the last of Rivers. There are five teams that I could see landing Rivers in free agency, and the Chiefs are set to face three of them next regular season, and could potentially face yet another in the playoffs.

Let’s start with the three NFC teams.