Philip Rivers seemed to know there was a chance his Week 17 trip to Kansas City might be his last one as the Chargers quarterback.
So he decided to leave a parting gift for a guy he got to know over the years.
Via Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star, Rivers acknowledged one particular heckler, who had been giving him the business for both his play on the field and his unwillingness to wait in line for barbecue.
“It was one guy in particular back there that you almost feel like you’ve gotten to know over the how many years he’s been back there,” Rivers said after that game. “I laugh because many years ago, me and [former Chargers quarterback] Charlie Whitehurst were going to Oklahoma Joe’s and the line was long. We were in there and there was nothing but Chiefs fans everywhere and now we’ve been seen from being in such a busy place. We’ve been standing there for about 3 minutes and we decided we’d go ahead and leave.
“So, the next day, I’m here at the game and this guy hollers at me, ‘Hey Rivers, let me tell you how we do it at Oklahoma Joe’s. You stand in line and then you order just like everybody else.’ There’s always just been this back and forth with him. He gives it to me and then we’ll make a good play and he’ll say, ‘OK, I’ll give it to you’. We caught eye contact at some point today and he said, ‘Can I get those?’ So, I thought why not, if it’s the last time in here.”
So Rivers gave the guy his gloves before heading off into the sunset.
Rivers will head to free agency this spring, after he and the team announced he wouldn’t return to the Chargers. And he might have to stand in line for a new team, as he might not be the first domino to fall in a crowded market.