Chargers' Philip Rivers on his future: 'Yes, I do want to play football'

CARSON, Calif. -- With one game left in his 16th season and in the final year of his deal, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers continues to field questions about his future.

As it stands now, Rivers, 38, appears to be making something pretty clear: He still wants to play.

"I'm capable enough physically and mentally, there's no question," Rivers said after Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders. "Yes, I do want to play football. I do, and that's how I feel deep down as I stand here."

However, Rivers also went on to say he still wants to take some time after the season to discuss that decision with his family, and ultimately the Chargers' brass has to decide if the team wants him back.

"There's a lot of factors," Rivers said. "There's a personal side and family side to mine. I'm going to have a daughter in college as well, too. So time is ticking, and I've got a sixth-grade son that I've got to get ready to coach at some point, so there's all kinds of factors.

"But I know I can still do it, and I know I can still do it at a high enough level for us to win. I have not done it well enough this year, but I still do love to play, and love to lead these guys and this team. It's been an array of things that have compounded, to keep us from winning enough games to advance into the tournament."

Rivers said he sent Eli Manning a note to tell him how it awesome it was for him to get one last start with the New York Giants for fans to say a final farewell. However, Rivers doesn't see that same thing happening with him and the Chargers this season.

"I think that situation is different," Rivers said. "He's almost a year removed from this moment. He was coming back this year, and then you obviously had the draft and how that thing played out, and he handled it like a pro. So I think this is a complete different situation. I just don't think I'm done playing."

With his team at 5-10, Rivers also has heard the detractors this season. His 18 interceptions this year is second only to the 28 byJameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rivers has 24 turnovers on the season, the most turnovers he has had in a year since 2016.

"It's probably human nature when you're 38 and you throw some interceptions in games and they don't go the way you want them to, that it can become, and that's what people say: 'You can't make the throw you used to make' or 'You can't do this' -- arm strength and all of that," Rivers said.

"And just none of that is true. I've made some throws this year that have been as good as throws that I've made in any years of my career, but I'm not here to sell that. So physically and what I'm able to do is just what I was able to do last year when we were rolling and having one of our best years. Even in some of these games the last few weeks, we've had some really good plays offensively.

"But that doesn't meant that that's good enough for someone to want you to keep playing, because you have to maintain that consistency throughout games and do enough to win football games, which we haven't done, and I haven't done well enough this year."