INDIANAPOLIS – Philip Rivers wanted one more shot at winning that elusive Super Bowl ring.
So the 44-year-old grandfather and Hall of Fame semifinalist is coming out of retirement and rejoining the Indianapolis Colts.
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Just hours after team officials announced they'd signed Rivers to the practice squad, the eight-time Pro Bowler told reporters he's eager to take his first NFL snaps since 2020 and hopes to start Sunday's crucial game at Seattle.
“Something about it excited me and it's kind of one of those deals, the door opens and you either walk through it and find out if you can do it or you run from it,” he said. “I know there's risk involved, what may or may not happen, but the only way to find out is going for it.”
While the exuberant Rivers has never been prone to backing down from a challenge, he's never faced one quite like this.
Rivers spent the past five years in Fairhope, Alabama, coaching St. Michael Catholic High School's football team. Yet his mind never strayed far from the NFL. He said he routinely watched the Los Angeles Chargers and Colts, the two teams he played for during his first 17 seasons, and was watching again last weekend when Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon injury in a 36-19 loss at Jacksonville.
Rivers said he immediately wondered if the Colts might call.
At the time he was unaware, as were the Colts (8-5), that rookie backup Riley Leonard also injured his right knee during the game, creating even more urgency for a team flailing to keep its playoff hopes alive. Then the phone rang.
“He said, ‘Heck yeah I’m interested,'” said Colts coach Shane Steichen, who worked with Rivers when they were both with the Chargers. “So he slept on it and then we called him back Monday morning and he said, ‘I need to get up there and throw in that building.’ So he came in here, and he didn't forget how to throw a football."
Steichen said it was possible Rivers could start Sunday — depending on how things go this week.
Then again, Rivers has done just about everything in his career except win a championship.
He finished the first part of his career ranked among the league's career leaders with more than 63,000 yards passing, more than 400 touchdown passes and 134 career wins. He was the 2013 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and he's been around long enough that the former N.C. State star was the key piece in the trade that sent two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning to the New York Giants in 2004.
The bigger question is what can the Colts expect from this version of Rivers?
While he's worked out and thrown at home, Rivers acknowledges there's a significant difference between what he's done and what it takes to successfully run a pro offense against one of the league's top defenses. And though Steichen said his playbook largely resembles the one he and Rivers used during their tenure with the Chargers, they must still navigate some new wrinkles.
He also weighs more this time around.
“I don't know, just being honest," he said when asked about his weight, drawing laughter. “It's not what it was when I walked away. I follow up with that, though, that I never ran away from anybody anyway.”
The Colts were desperate after losing Jones and possibly Leonard, who was expected to practice Wednesday.
Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, remains on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone and Indy finally promoted veteran Brett Rypien from the practice squad to the active roster Wednesday. Rypien hasn't started a game since 2023.
The good news for Indy: Rivers does have some familiarity with players such as Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr. and Quenton Nelson from his last stint in Indy.
And with Indianapolis closing the season against four potential playoff teams — Seattle (10-3), Jacksonville (9-4), San Francisco (9-4) and Houston (8-5) — they needed a steady hand to try to end a four-year postseason drought.
So they're giving Rivers a shot to get them back in the playoffs and maybe a Super Bowl.
“Immediately the competitor in you, you get excited, like, ‘Are you serious?’” Rivers said, referring to the phone call. “I know routes on air is not playing the position on Sunday afternoon, I do know that. But I don't have any reservations about going there and throwing and doing that stuff, it feels good. So we're going to take it one day at a time, but I'm excited. I feel good.”
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