The Los Angeles Chargers and Philip Rivers have mutually agreed to part ways.
After 16 years with the team, the 38-year-old quarterback will become an unrestricted free agent where he hopes to sign with another team for the 2020 season.
Rivers is the active NFL leader with 224 consecutive starts.
Rivers expressed how difficult it was to come to the decision in a statement.
"I am very grateful to the Spanos family and the Chargers organization for the last 16 years. In anything you do, it's the people you do it with that make it special. There are so many relationships and memories with coaches, support staff and teammates that will last forever, and for that I am so thankful.
I never took for granted the opportunity to lead this team out on to the field for 235 games. We had a lot of great moments, beginning in San Diego and then finishing in LA. I wish my teammates and coaches nothing but the best moving forward.
I'm not sure what the future holds, but my family and I look forward to seeing what God has planned for us next."
Chargers owner Dean Spanos had a similar sentiment.
"Through 16 seasons, 224 consecutive starts and more 'dadgummits' and 'shoots' than any of us can count, not only has Philip Rivers been our quarterback, he's been the heart and soul of our organization. He wore a bolo tie and cowboy boots to games. He introduced us to 'Nunc Coepi.' He always went out of his way to interact with the fans, and he even made fans of nuns. Over the years, I think he broke just about every team record in the book and, simply put, it was just fun to watch him play football.
There's only one Philip Rivers, and we've been fortunate to call him our QB1 for the better part of two decades. We cannot thank Philip enough for giving it his all on every single down and for the memories he created that will last a lifetime."
Rivers currently ranks sixth all time in the NFL with 59,271 passing yards and 397 touchdown passes. Although he took the Chargers to the playoffs six times, he never led the team to a championship game, stirring up a lot of debate regarding his possible future induction into the hall of fame.
Matt "Money" Smith, who does the play-by-play radio broadcasts for the Chargers on KFI, joined the show to discuss Rivers' career, his future, and what the Chargers might do next.
Read the full story at ESPN