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Philip Rivers to Colts? Why 44-year-old retired and is he fit to play? Daniel Jones situation explained
After Daniel Jones was ruled out of the season with an Achilles injury, the Indianapolis Colts reportedly approached potential Hall of Famer Philip Rivers
After Daniel Jones was ruled out of the season with an Achilles injury, the Indianapolis Colts reportedly approached potential Hall of Famer Philip Rivers. The 44-year-old, who retired back in July, will work out with the team before he is added to the roster. Currently, Riley Leonard is Indianapolis' starting QB.
"The Colts are planning to bring potential Hall of Fame QB Philip Rivers into their facility Tuesday to work out to see if he may join their practice squad, per me & Mike Garafolo," Ian Rapoport posts on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. "This is real. Daniel Jones’ season is over, Riley Leonard will start, but Rivers may be an option."
However, Colts fans immediately wondered why Rivers retired in the first place. He is 44 years old and has not played in the NFL since 2021.
Why Philip Rivers retired and is he fit?
Rivers finally called time on his NFL career in July, four years after he last took a snap. Back then, the 44-year-old said there was a reason he kept the door cracked open.
In a conversation on the “Dan Patrick Show,” Rivers revealed that multiple teams continued to check on his availability long after he stepped away.
"The reason there was a little bit of a wait is there were a couple of November/Decembers there in 2021 and 2022 where I was staying ready," he said. "I threw on shoulder pads a few times and a helmet and was throwing in the yard and working just in case. And there were a few things that kind of got close. But then the last two years I pretty much knew I was done."
One of the first teams to reach out was the New Orleans Saints in 2021, when injuries and COVID-19 gutted their quarterback room. Rivers and fellow Saints legend Drew Brees were both contacted as potential emergency options.
"When the Saints had the injuries, I think they called Drew and I both," Rivers recalled. "I remember being on a phone call with Drew, and it was over Christmas and it was like the first Christmas I had been off and not playing, and I was like, 'I can't believe I'm even considering this.' Drew and I ended up talking about, 'Hey, were you serious?' And he was asking me if I was serious..."
Two years later, the San Francisco 49ers kicked the tires as well. After losing Trey Lance early in the 2022 season and later Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13, San Francisco briefly explored veteran options before Brock Purdy emerged.
"It was the year that the 49ers had the injuries at quarterback," Rivers said. “Early on, before Purdy really got going. There was still probably six weeks left in the year so there was a little interaction I had there with John Lynch.”
Across 17 seasons, including 16 with the Chargers, Rivers built one of the most productive careers of any quarterback who never reached a Super Bowl. The eight-time Pro Bowler retires with a 134-106 record, ranking sixth all-time in both passing yards (63,440) and touchdown passes (421).
