Philip Rivers took small steps to prepare himself — just in case.

Last week, he left San Diego and drove to Carson where his brother Stephen, a quarterback from Northwestern State, was practicing before the NFLPA Bowl. He mentally charted that trip to Los Angeles, gaining a sense of how long it took to commute. Then on Friday, he used the Internet to map out Santa Ana, the site of the Chargers’ temporary practice facility if they relocate to L.A., gaining a feel of the five-acre land’s surroundings.

Hours later, he received a phone call.

Put it all on hold.


CHARGERS LATEST

The Chargers will remain in San Diego for at least the 2016 season, their board chairman Dean Spanos announced Friday afternoon. John Spanos, Dean’s son and the team’s president of football operations, called Rivers before the announcement was made to inform the franchise quarterback. Rivers hopes the momentum of the news can carry into the 2016 season.

He and his family welcomed Friday’s development.

“Everybody, all the children, wife and myself are all pretty fired up to know we’re here at least another season and hopefully more beyond that,” Rivers said in a phone interview. “It’s good news for sure. ... It’s news because we were waiting on a decision. But obviously, we’re here as we have been. It’s good to know we get to make another run at it here.”

The Chargers are coming off a 4-12 season.


The final home game, played Dec. 20 against the Dolphins, was emotional. Players such as Rivers and safety Eric Weddle stayed after the game, signing autographs and posing for photos, as thousands of fans remained at Qualcomm Stadium. Fans, in the final seconds of the win and again after it ended, chanted “Save our Bolts!” Rivers was left shoeless from the whole scene, as he gave each shoe to a separate fan.

“I feel like it didn’t end the way we wanted it to record-wise or season-wise, but the way it ended at Qualcomm, what could’ve been the end, I think will hopefully carry over into this new season,” Rivers said. “That emotion and that atmosphere, I know you can’t really recreate that from a ‘farewell’ sense. I know a lot of the emotion was built with that. But just the energy and feel in the stadium was crazy.

“Hopefully, there will be more of that. And I know winning will bring that, which we need to do more of. ... Maybe it can be like, ‘Oh, we get to stay.’ So we will even more embrace and be excited about being here and, on the flip side, fans, too. This will reenergize them going into this next season.”

Dean Spanos notified team employees about his decision during a Friday meeting.


When he said the Chargers would remain in San Diego at least one more season, the room “erupted” in applause, said a source who was present.

Some players chimed in on social media.

Wide receiver Keenan Allen and outside linebacker Melvin Ingram expressed an expectation of better fan support in 2016. There have been a share of instances over recent years, including a few last season, in which visiting fans held the vocal majority in games. This often coincided with poor play; there was little to cheer for on Oct. 25, for example, when the Chargers trailed the Raiders 37-6 in the third quarter.

This year, San Diego will host the Saints, Buccaneers, Titans, Jaguars, Dolphins, Broncos, Chiefs and Raiders.


The full schedule with dates and times will be finalized in April.

“So it’s looks like we are going to be in San Diego for another season,” Allen wrote on Twitter. “The stadium better be packed. The fans got what they wanted.”

“Staying in San Diego 4 another year,” Ingram wrote. “Every home game better be sold out..Charger blue everywhere Fans got what they wanted Now come support.”