The San Diego Chargers decided to reward the quick learning ability of third-round choice Charlie Whitehurst Monday by releasing veteran quarterback A.J. Feeley, who had been the backup to Philip Rivers.
"That's why we took the guy in the third round," general
manager A.J. Smith said of Whitehurst. "He's pretty talented. We gave him an
opportunity and they had quite a battle.
"It's kind of more about Charlie Whitehurst than it is about
A.J.. Charlie had a solid camp and he's getting
better every day. He's had a fast development. This gives A.J. an
opportunity to make a mad dash and see if he can get a job."
Feeley came to the Chargers last season from the Miami Dolphins in a trade that also netted them a sixth-round choice. At the time, the Chargers, who traded quarterback Cleo Lemon to the Dolphins, were more interested in the draft choice than Feeley but decided to give the veteran the chance to be the backup.
The Chargers restructured Feeley's contract, giving him a chance to earn $1.04 million this season if he made the team. After watching Whitehurst develop this summer, the team informed Feeley on Monday evening that they were terminating his contract and letting him find another home.
This puts the Chargers in the market for a third quarterback. Undrafted college free agent Brett Elliott is the only other quarterback on the roster except for Whitehurst and Rivers.
Feeley was groomed by Eagles coach Andy Reid. He was traded to Miami where he had the chance to be the starting quarterback. That didn't work out and Dolphins coach Nick Saban decided to go a different direction last year.
Rivers suffered a minor shoulder injury Saturday night after being hit by a Seahawks defender.
John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.