After spending five years away from NFL, Philip Rivers retired. 44-year-old defender signed on Tuesday With Indianapolis Colts join their training team. There is a chance he could play in his first game since 2020 when the team travels to face Seattle Seahawks. Doing his part to help the Colts make the playoffs is a challenge Rivers said he's excited to take on.
Rivers' lengthy retirement period, age and rapid buildup raise questions about whether former Colts and Chargers a standout player could lead the offense in 2025. Indianapolis is desperately trying to figure it out after Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles injury late in the seasonand Rivers has something to prove to himself.
“I didn’t really have any hope of playing again.” Rivers said after his arrival at the team's territory. “I thought the ship had sailed. But something about it excited me. It's kind of like one of those deals – a door opens and you can either walk through it and see if you can do it, or you can run away from it.”
“I know there is a risk, obviously, depending on what may or may not happen. But the only way to find out is to go for it. I just felt like it was almost a gift, another opportunity to play and hang out with the guys and the game you love to play and the dream you got to live out. You might get some bonus time.”
If the rivers starts on Sundayhe will become the fifth starting quarterback in NFL history to be 44 years of age or older. Tom BradyVinny Testaverde, Warren Moon and Steve DeBerg are the only such players who have been around before.
The injury threat is a serious one for a player his age, but that won't deter Rivers from trying to come back.
“As you see every week, whether you're 24 in the best shape of your life or you're 44 and unsure, anything can happen,” Rivers said. “So it never bothered me. You never hope or expect something like this to happen, but if something like this happens, I will have a lot of time to recover.”
Rivers said he received a call from coach Shane Steichen on Sunday after Jones was injured. He completed reps in the air Monday and felt confident enough to take the next steps and eventually sign up for the practice squad. The decision-making process raised some doubts, but the prospect of proving he could still act and do it with a franchise he loved was too tempting to pass up.
Rivers will reunite with Steichen, who served as the Chargers' quarterbacks coach and interim offensive coordinator during their time together. He will also share a locker room with 14 of his former teammates from the 2020 season.
“There’s something about this building that just feels right,” Rivers said.
