In this Bizarro World of the NFL‘s 2025 season where Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are currently on the outside looking in on the playoffs and a quarterback can somehow throw an interception and fumble on the same play, why not throw a Philip Rivers return into the mix, right? Remarkably, the 44-year-old quarterback is back in the NFL following a five-year hiatus, inking a deal to join the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad.
Of course, this comes on the heels of Indy losing starting quarterback Daniel Jones for the season due to a torn Achilles that he suffered in Sunday’s loss against the Jaguars. Jones’ season-ending injury created a hole at the position, and forced the franchise, which is still in the playoff race at 8-5, to explore its options and call Rivers, who worked out for the team on Tuesday. The session went well enough that Indianapolis signed him to its practice squad, thus bringing him out of retirement.
But what does this all mean? How did we get here? What has Rivers been doing all this time? Let’s break down each piece of this wonderfully random return by the NFL legend.
What has Philip Rivers been doing in retirement?
Let’s not forget, Rivers has 10 (!) children, so it’s not like he’s been simply chilling on some remote island in his post-playing days. In fact, he’s stayed close to the game, serving as a high school football coach at Fairhope (Ala.) St. Michael Catholic. He’s been with the program since 2021 and is 44-16 overall as the coach, which includes a 13-1 campaign in 2025.
There, Rivers has been coaching one of his sons, Gunner Rivers, who is a highly touted prospect in the 2027 class. 247Sports has Gunner Rivers listed as a four-star recruit and the No. 6-ranked quarterback nationally. He currently has offers from Auburn, Boston College, Miami, South Carolina and his father’s alma mater, NC State.
Is there any precedent for a 44-year-old QB to return
Seeing a quarterback Rivers’ age start in a game is rare but not unprecedented. If he were to start for Indianapolis at some point this season, he would be just the fifth starting QB in NFL history age 44 or older, joining Tom Brady, Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon and Steve DeBerg.
However, when you pair his extended absence, we haven’t seen anything quite of this magnitude. For instance, Sunday will mark 1,800 days since Rivers’ last NFL start (Jan. 9, 2021, versus the Bills). If he were to start this weekend against Seattle (which is still a major question), Rivers would be the first 40-plus-year-old quarterback to play with at least 1,800 days in between starts. The current record is 1,777 days held by DeBerg in 1998, who started one game that season at age 44 after being retired for four years.
How did Philip Rivers look last time?
As noted, it’s been a minute since we’ve seen Rivers on an NFL field. Before this return, his final career game was as a member of the Colts during the 2020 season. Specifically, it came during the wild-card round of the playoffs that year, where Indy fell to the Buffalo Bills, 27-24.
In that game, Rivers completed 27 of his 46 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns and took Buffalo to the brink. The game was determined on the final play of regulation as Rivers heaved a Hail Mary from midfield to T.Y. Hilton, but Buffalo defensive back Micah Hyde knocked it down to clinch the win for the Bills.
During the regular season, Rivers led the Colts to an 11-5 record while throwing for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 68% of his passes that year with a 97 passer rating.
Why is Indy in this QB situation?
While this is a fun story to see Rivers back in the NFL, you know it means that the Colts have fallen into utter catastrophe by needing to make this move. Of course, the big piece is Jones, who’s out. Instantly, when Jones went down with the non-contact injury, the fears of an Achilles sprouted and ultimately realized.
But this also goes beyond Jones. Indy’s in-house options at quarterback are also dinged up. Anthony Richardson, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, is on injured reserve due to a fracture to his orbital bone in his eye that he suffered during pregame warmups before the team’s Week 6 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. That had rookie Riley Leonard as Jones’ primary backup, and the Notre Dame product went in under duress following his injury.
While filling in for Jones, Leonard suffered a knee injury, but coach Shane Steichen did indicate earlier this week that the team hopes Leonard will be available this week against the Seahawks. If he’s ruled out, that’d create even more momentum for Rivers to be activated off the practice squad and start immediately.
How Philip Rivers’ return impacts his Hall of Fame bid
You know it’s been a long time since you’ve been in the NFL when you’re in contention for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Rivers was eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame for the first time this year and was recently among the 26 modern-era candidates to be a semifinalist for induction into Canton, Ohio, next summer.
However, if Rivers is signed to the Colts’ active roster, his eligibility resets, and he would have to wait another five years. Because Rivers is currently signed to the practice squad, he is, momentarily, still eligible for the Hall of Fame, but that could change rather quickly.
