Quarterback Philip Rivers shockingly ended his retirement this week to rejoin the Colts on a practice squad deal. After the 44-year-old showed well in practice, the Colts signed him to their active roster on Saturday. The move put an end to his 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy. A semifinalist before returning to Indianapolis, Rivers will have to wait until 2031 to regain eligibility for enshrinement.
The Colts have not officially named Rivers as their starter for Week 15. He will indeed get the nod, though, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
Rivers, who has spent most of his career with the Chargers, is set to take the reins for the first time since he quarterbacked the Colts to the playoffs during the 2020 season. His most recent start came on Jan. 9, 2021, in a wild-card round loss in Buffalo.
Exactly 1,800 days later (h/t: Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports), Rivers will face another significant test on the road against the 10-3 Seahawks and their second-ranked scoring defense on Sunday. No QB 40 or older has experienced that large of a gap between games, Jones notes.
Nobody envisioned a Rivers reunion taking place at the beginning of the week. However, the Colts are in desperation mode after No. 1 quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles in a loss to the Jaguars last Sunday. After a 7-1 start, the Colts’ latest defeat dropped them to 8-5. They’ve spiraled from first place in the AFC to eighth over the past month and a half. They’ll pay Rivers, who has earned $242MM in the NFL, the prorated veteran minimum, per Mike Chappell of FOX59.
Thanks to Rivers’ familiarity with head coach Shane Steichen and their offense, the Colts have more confidence in the eight-time Pro Bowler running the show than their other options. Rookie Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick from Notre Dame, may have been in line for his first career start had Rivers stayed retired. Leonard sprained his PCL in Jacksonville, but he’s now healthy. He joined Rivers in taking first-team practice reps this week. Journeyman backup Brett Rypien is also in the fold.
Already among the league’s least mobile QBs before his initial retirement, Rivers will become the sixth signal-caller to play at 44-plus, Mike Chappell of FOX59 points out. The group currently consists of George Blanda, Steve DeBerg, Warren Moon, Vinny Testaverde, and Tom Brady.
Rivers hopes to join Testaverde and Brady as passers to win at least one game at his age, though the Colts are staring down a brutal season-ending slate. Rivers helping the Colts rally for a playoff berth would make for an incredible story, but with the Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars, and Texans left on their schedule, the odds are heavily against it.