In a league where quarterbacks are king, it is major news when an elite passer appears ready to leave his kingdom. That explains the rumor-mill feeding frenzy that took place earlier this month when Philip Rivers announced he will play out the final season of his contract rather than engaging in extension talks with the Chargers.

“What I can control and all I know as of today, I am signed up for one more year,” Rivers told Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego. “I guess things could change, but with all the uncertainty in many aspects, I don’t see it changing before camp gets here, and when camp gets here I’m even more certain to play it out.”

The uncertainty he refers to is the franchise’s potential relocation to Los Angeles. The Chargers, Rams and Raiders are seemingly competing to fill two vacancies in the nation’s second-largest media market. Rivers, a Southern boy from Alabama, has no desire to relocate his wife and seven kids to Hollywood. If he is forced to move his family because of his career, he would prefer to move to a Southern city more inline with his aw-shucks personality.

But to imply his reluctance to re-up is based solely on geography is not accurate.

Rivers is concerned the Chargers are not committed to building a championship-caliber team, instead content to shop in the bargain bin and jockey for positioning with the rest of the league’s also-rans. While other fringe teams made bold moves in free agency — Jeremy Maclin in Kansas City, Ndamukong Suh in Miami, Vince Wilfork in Houston, Percy Harvin in Buffalo — San Diego settled for the likes of Jimmy Wilson and Mitch Unrein (yes, the team signed OG Orlando Franklin, but you get the picture).

Rivers is not the only veteran concerned with the organization’s questionable commitment to winning. Eric Weddle has also gone public with his concerns, while future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates has asked plenty of questions behind closed doors. And what do Rivers, Weddle and Gates have in common? They are all entering the final years of their contracts.

Losing Gates would be tough, but he will be 35 next season and his heir apparent (Ladarius Green) is already on the roster. Losing Weddle would be a blow, as well, but his impact on the defense is overrated (he has just six interceptions over the last three seasons, with his interception total decreasing every year since 2011).

Losing Rivers would be a horse of a different color. He is the driving force behind everything the Chargers do. His quick release makes his linemen look better. His accuracy brings out the best in his receivers. His ability to convert on third down helps his defense stay rested. Without him, San Diego’s offensive symphony devolves into kids banging on pots with wooden spoons.

Everyone in the Chargers organization understands that losing Rivers is paramount to rebuilding, which is something to team would like to put off as long as possible.

“The only thing I’m worried about is this next season,” said head coach Mike McCoy from the owners meetings. “We can’t worry about 2016 and beyond. He’s under contract for this year, and we plan on Philip Rivers retiring a Charger.”

Added GM Tom Telesco: “We’d like to extend him. And when he’s ready to do that, we’ll get moving on it.”

The Chargers face the same dilemma the Oklahoma City Thunder currently face with Kevin Durant, a franchise star who has expressed hesitance about returning once his contract expires after next season. The difference is that the NFL comes with a handy tool that does not exist in the NBA: the franchise tag. With the franchise tag at their disposal, the Chargers know they can control Rivers’ rights through at least the 2016 season.

The only way the Chargers move Rivers before next season is if: a) they are convinced he will refuse to follow the team to Los Angeles; and b) they get an offer that absolutely blows them away.

The Titans, who own the No. 2 overall pick, have been a rumored trade partner. Such a swap would reunite Rivers with Ken Whisenhunt, his offensive coordinator in 2013, and move Rivers to within 100 miles of his home state of Alabama. The problem is the Chargers would want more than the No. 2 overall pick (which would presumably be used on Oregon QB Marcus Mariota) … you don’t send off Rivers in exchange for a quarterback who could maybe someday be as good as Rivers.

That doesn’t mean the Chargers are not doing their homework. They will visit with Mariota and Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson prior to the draft. Mariota would be the centerpiece of any swap with the Titans, while Grayson could be drafted and developed behind Rivers, who is 33 and recovering from back and rib injuries.

Another rumor involves the Browns, a possibility that would only have traction if Mariota falls all the way to No. 12. In that scenario, the Browns could send the Chargers the No. 12 and No. 19 picks for Rivers, giving San Diego the chance to rebuild around a couple of young cornerstones like Mariota and Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon.

It is easy to see the merit in these hypothetical deals, but they ignore the most pressing reality: the Chargers are under immense pressure to win now. If the team hopes to stay in San Diego, winning would help convince fans to accept a tax increase to fund a new stadium. If the team is intent on moving north, winning would help excite a Los Angeles fan base that is far more interested in the potential returns of the Rams and/or Raiders than it is about the Chargers.

Winning would also satisfy the growing number of discontented veterans in the Chargers’ locker room that question the organization’s commitment to winning.

This is not the NBA. The NFL is a win-now league and the best chance for the Chargers to win now is with No. 17 under center.