Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Chargers made the big splash addition of former Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey on a two-year, $15 million deal. Pouncey is now set to step in as the tone setter of the Chargers' offensive line next season. Part of what lured the 28-year-old to join the Chargers this offseason was the presence of Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers.
According to Ricky Henne of Chargers.com, Pouncey voiced much praise toward his new teammate by calling the chance to play with him an “opportunity of a lifetime.”
“No disrespect to any of the guys in Miami,” he explained. “I enjoyed my career there for seven years with the Miami Dolphins, but to be able to play with an elite guy like this and a Hall of Fame quarterback is something I always dreamed of in my life. I can’t wait. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to get to work with him. He’s a great football player. The way he goes to work out there, approaches the game and how competitive he is. I’d tell my guys all the time about the time we played the Chargers a few years ago, and they called his name and he was high-kneeing it out of the tunnel. He had so much excitement I said, ‘That’s the kind of guy I want to be with.’ This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I couldn’t pass it up.”
Rivers put together another highly productive campaign in 2017, where he finished second in the league with 4,515 passing yards, fifth with 28 passing touchdowns, and ninth with a 96.0 passer rating. This marked his 10th straight season with at least 3,500 passing yards, which made him the third quarterback in NFL history to reach that feat, joining the likes of Peyton Manning (13) and Drew Brees (13).
This made Rivers the ninth player in NFL history to have at least 50,000 career passing yards, and his 342 career touchdown passes are currently tied with Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton for the sixth-most all-time. He is also the eighth quarterback in league history to accumulate more than 4,000 career completions.
Rivers has certainly put together an illustrious career that puts him at the top of the list of quarterbacks that Pouncey wanted to work with heading into the eighth season in the league. Beyond that, there is the opportunity in front of him to potentially solidify his spot as the center that the 36-year-old QB will work with over the remainder of his career.
The addition of Pouncey has a chance to be a high-impact move, as he has established himself as one of the top centers in the league behind three Pro Bowl selections. He became the third player in Dolphins history to earn Pro Bowl nods at two different positions while playing both center and guard, joining the likes of Cameron Wake and Randy Starks. There is clearly plenty of potential for this move to work out greatly for both sides.
Follow Us
Subscribe