Why—and How—the Chargers Moved on From Philip Rivers

Even before the Chargers came to finalize their big quarterback decision last week, GM Tom Telesco had it in his head how he wanted everything to go. This wasn’t his first time, after all. He was a Colts exec when Peyton Manning was released in early 2012, and so he knew making it happen wouldn’t be easy, for the player or the team. But if there was going to be a break with Philip Rivers, he badly wanted it to be clean.

“Once we saw the way this was heading, it was in the forefront of my mind,” Telesco said, after wrapping up a draft meeting late Monday. “I mean, he’s an icon for the organization and he’s done so much here. I wanted to make sure everything was done as respectfully and classy…