If you don't think Philip Rivers is a Hall of Famer, you just weren't paying attention

These debates are boring, but this one isn’t even in doubt.

Hall of Fame debates are boring. Philip Rivers hasn’t been retired for more than a few hours at the time I’m writing this and I’m already over the debate surrounding his candidacy. Of course, I’m only adding to the discourse by writing this but I’m here only to say one thing: We don’t have to do this.

There’s no need to overthink this one. Rivers is a Hall of Famer.

Now I could spend the next few hundred words listing all of Rivers’ statistical accomplishments. I could point to all of the passing yards and touchdowns he’s stacked over the last two decades. I could bring up all the efficiency metrics that show he wasn’t just a compiler, either. I can rebut your “WHerE aRE tHe rINgS???” argument by recounting all of that bad Chargers luck that prevented him from winning some more games.

(If you really want an argument for why Rivers is worthy of Canton, just look at his Pro Football Reference page. It’s all there. Just make sure to check out the era-adjusted numbers on there and compare it to some of your favorites quarterbacks who own a gold jacket.)

I’m not going to do that though. Instead, I’m going to keep my argument simple: The dude was just a blast to watch. I mean, he was also very good at playing football, which helps anyone’s Hall of Fame case, but it was legitimately entertaining watching him play the quarterback position.

I know I’m going to get dangerously close to football hipster territory here, but you really have to watch Rivers play to appreciate his game. I think if you asked film watchers (ugh) to list their favorite quarterbacks to watch, Rivers would be somewhere in their top five. He was constantly tinkering with protections and calling audibles before the snap. After it, he navigated the pocket with precision and made some of the most ridiculous-looking throws you’ll ever see.

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He wasn’t zipping the ball around the field like Brett Favre but Rivers could make all the throws with that funky delivery of his. During his two decades in the league, nobody was better at throwing deep, out-breaking routes. Rivers still had it in his last season.

It’s like watching a great knuckleball pitcher who just happens to have the command and savvy of a Greg Maddux. I don’t think we’ll ever see anyone play the position like this again.

But it’s not like Rivers was Ryan Fitzpatrick or anything. Sure, at the end of his career, he was mostly just getting by on guile and had mostly become a meme. But at his peak Rivers was a perennial MVP candidate. He never made an All-Pro team and received only two MVP votes throughout his career (both came in 2009) but that’s not really an indictment on his career. Rivers just happened to play in an era with Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, all of whom have arguments for landing in the top-five all-time.

That’s really the story of Rivers’ career. His brilliance will be overshadowed by the brilliance of his peers. The former Charger played in the Golden Age of Quarterbacking, so he was never in the discussion for the best QB in the league. Brees was always more accurate. Peyton did the field-general routine better. Brady was the premier “pocket presence” guy. Even his draft classmates, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning, have a ring, which will make their rides into Canton a bit smoother, even if they were lesser players.

Rivers won’t make it in on his first ballot. He’ll probably have to wait a few years before getting the call. But as we get further away from his career and his accomplishments are viewed in a vacuum rather than being compared to those of his peers, his argument will only get stronger.

So don’t waste your time debating whether or not Rivers should be in. Instead, just look back on his career with appreciation. Trust me, you’ll have a lot more fun that way.