Should the Browns trade for Philip Rivers?

Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throws a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

We’re not spilling any state secrets when we point out that the Cleveland Browns are still in need of a quarterback to lead the team.

Unless you are sold on Josh McCown being the bridge to Johnny Manziel, you realize that the Browns should be exhausting any and all options when it comes to filling the biggest hole on the current roster.

But should that search extend westward to San Diego and quarterback Philip Rivers?

Rivers is entering his 12th season with the Chargers and the final one under his current contract. The Chargers are wildly believed to be moving to Los Angeles, the town where they were born in 1960, sometime in the next couple of years.

And that is a move that Rivers has publicly stated that he wants no part of.

“What we’ve established (in San Diego) with my growing family is hard to recreate,” he told The Union-Tribune in March. “It’s hard to up and recreate that. I know that moves are part of life. But that certainly is fair to say that (not being sold on moving to Los Angeles) is part of it. The good thing is I’m not under contract in a year where we’d potentially be in Los Angeles.”

Speculation has continued to grow that Rivers days in San Diego may be numbered as the Chargers held a private workout this week with Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Connect the dots and it’s pretty easy to put together a scenario where the Chargers trade Rivers to Tennessee on draft day in exchange for the No. 2 pick in the draft. The Chargers transition from their current franchise quarterback to their next one, the Titans receive a talented quarterback to help their rebuilding process, and Rivers and his family move to Nashville, closer to several members of his family.

But what if the Titans are not interested? Or if the Chargers don’t like what they see from Mariota during the workout?

That’s where the Browns come in.

We’ve been distracted by thinking about the Browns improving the quarterback position only through the draft, or their misguided thoughts about trading for Sam Bradford and his missing ACL, so we haven’t really thought about the fact that there may be other quarterbacks on the table in a trade scenario.

That changed the other day, however, after reading this Bill Barnwell article at Grantland. While exploring the subject of trading Rivers to the Titans, Barnwell brings up the Browns as a potential candidate, writing that:

"“The Titans could hold a bidding war and deal the no. 2 pick to the Browns, who could send them 2,075 points of draft value with their two first-round picks in this year’s draft, or the Jets, who could offer about 2,600 points of value by sending the no. 6 pick and their first-rounder in next year’s draft. If the Chargers just want to get the largest maximum return for Rivers and don’t care for Mariota, they could send the former NC State star to the Browns or Jets for either of those offers while picking up a project like Geno Smith or Johnny Manziel in the process.”"

There is no doubt that if the Browns pulled off a trade for Rivers that he would instantly become the best quarterback on the team since Bernie Kosar.

Last year Rivers passed for 4,286 yards (his sixth 4,000-yard season, a team record), threw for 31 touchdowns (his fourth 30-plus season) and completed more than 66 percent of his passes.

Rivers finished the season with 4,286 yards, extending his team record to six 4,000-yard seasons. It was also his fourth season with at least 30 touchdown passes (31) and his second straight season with a completion percentage above 66 percent. He has led the Chargers to the playoffs five times in his nine years as a starter, has made 144 consecutive starts (no third-string quarterback issues for San Diego), and is currently 20th on the NFL’s all-time passing yards list.

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So what’s not to like?

For starters, Rivers will turn 34 near the end of the upcoming season. He’s not done as a starting quarterback by any means, but he is closer to the end of his career than the beginning.

There is also the matter of his contract expiring after this season. The Browns certainly have the cap space to give Rivers a deal worthy of his level of play, but tying up a lot of money in an aging quarterback could hurt the team’s roster flexibility down the road.

And what if Rivers decides that, as nice as it is to live in Cleveland, it’s just not the same as sunny San Diego or living in the South and he walks out of town after just one season?

The Browns could certainly use a quarterback like Rivers, and with a pair of first-round draft picks they have the assets to make a trade work with the Chargers.

So while general manager Ray Farmer may be tempted to give the Chargers a call, the Browns will be better off using those assets elsewhere.

Next: NFL Mock Draft: 7 Round CBS Sports Includes Browns Trade