Rivers trade would cause ripple effect through NFL
A week from now, Philip Rivers might be the former quarterback of the Chargers, who might be moving from San Diego to Los Angeles next year. Other than those two possibilities, the team’s condition is stable.
Everything is up in the air regarding Rivers’ future, and the skies above San Diego are not powder blue. As the world turns and the NFL Draft approaches, this is the most intriguing storyline of the soap opera.
“It’s really interesting. I think there is a real chance the Chargers trade Rivers,” said Chuck Esposito, Sunset Station sports book director. “I think they roll the dice if they pull off that blockbuster trade.”
The Chargers are juggling the dice and thinking it over. Pretty soon, the Tennessee Titans, holding the No. 2 pick in the draft, will be on the clock.
Rivers, entering the final year of his contract, has said he does not want to sign a new deal and face the scary prospect of relocating his family to L.A., where there is too much smog and traffic and too many people like Donald Sterling. If Rivers plans to leave, the Chargers must get something for him. And that’s how trade rumors are created.
The Chargers need to secure their franchise quarterback, whether it’s the 33-year-old Rivers or Marcus Mariota from Oregon.
On Tuesday, when the NFL unveiled its regular-season schedule and Week 1 point spreads were posted, the Chargers opened as 2-point home favorites over Detroit. Unsure of Rivers’ status, Westgate Las Vegas sports book director Jay Kornegay said he and his oddsmakers “kind of hedged” on the San Diego line.
If Rivers returns, the Chargers could close as 3-point favorites. His next move impacts two games, because in another Week 1 matchup, Tampa Bay is a 3-point home favorite over the Titans. If Rivers is the quarterback for Tennessee, the line on its game will change by more than a point.
It’s a guessing game, but the assumption is the Buccaneers will roll the dice on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston at No. 1, leaving Mariota for the Titans, Chargers or another team looking to strike a deal.
“There are so many teams in play to trade for Mariota that it adds an element to draft day,” said Esposito, who is hosting a draft party inside Club Madrid at Sunset Station for Thursday’s first round.
So, what happens if Winston starts for Tampa Bay, Rivers starts for Tennessee and Mariota is in San Diego?
“I could see the game being Tampa minus-1 or pick’em,” Esposito said. “If you pull off that blockbuster for Mariota, you’re starting him, so I think Detroit becomes the favorite in that game if Mariota is the starter in San Diego.”
September games are more popular as discussion topics than serious wagering opportunities at this point, but Station Casinos and the Westgate are taking action, so here’s a two-minute drill on the rest of the Week 1 lineup:
■ Pittsburgh at New England (-6): The Steelers lost defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to Tennessee, and safety Troy Polamalu retired. The Super Bowl champions are usually money in the Thursday opener, so expect the Patriots to get bet to 7-point favorites.
■ Green Bay (-4) at Chicago: Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback for the Packers, and Jay Cutler is still the clown operating the Bears’ offense. Green Bay, which won last year’s meetings 38-17 and 55-14, will be a popular play. This line will go up.
■ Kansas City at Houston (-1½): In Andy Reid’s first two seasons as coach, the Chiefs finished 11-5 and 9-7. I like Texans coach Bill O’Brien better. But always be leery of NFL home favorites laying fewer than 3 points. No opinion.
■ Cleveland at New York Jets (-1): The Browns plan to start Josh McCown, not Johnny Manziel, at quarterback. The Jets are going with Geno Smith, unless they shift directions in the draft. This is an early lean to McCown and the Browns.
■ Indianapolis (-3) at Buffalo: The public will probably bet on Andrew Luck, but this is a tough call. It will be an emotional opener for the Bills, with Rex Ryan as the new coach and LeSean McCoy as the new running back. Buffalo’s defense should be rock solid.
■ Miami (-2½) at Washington: Even after adding Ndamukong Suh to a strong defensive line, the Dolphins could flop early and expose Joe Philbin as the first coach to get fired. But I don’t want to back the Redskins.
■ Carolina (-4) at Jacksonville: Much like cigarette smoking and whiskey drinking, betting the Jaguars is hazardous to your health. I’ll stick with whiskey.
■ Seattle (-3½) at St. Louis: If the Seahawks get a first down at the 1-yard line, they need to hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch.
■ New Orleans at Arizona (-2½): After a knee injury, Carson Palmer is back on track to quarterback the Cardinals, who went 6-0 in games he started last season. The oddsmakers seem to like the Saints here, but the Saints stink on the road.
■ Cincinnati (-3) at Oakland: Jack Del Rio takes over as Raiders coach, so it’s a new era for another team that might move to L.A. Look for this line to hit 3½.
■ Baltimore at Denver (-4): If Peyton Manning is healthy again, and that appears to be the case, the public will bet the Broncos.
■ New York Giants at Dallas (-5½): Running back DeMarco Murray, a big reason for the Cowboys’ success last season, was allowed to run off to Philadelphia. I’ll probably take the points with the Giants, because I look first at underdogs in NFC East games.
■ Philadelphia (-1½) at Atlanta: Who will coach Chip Kelly pick in the Eagles’ quarterback derby? It’s too soon to say.
■ Minnesota at San Francisco (-3½): It’s tough to side with the Vikings without knowing if Adrian Peterson will be their running back. It’s still April, and there’s no rush to bet this ’dog.
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts “The Las Vegas Sportsline” weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.