As the reality of Daniel Jones’ torn Achilles and Riley Leonard’s knee injury settled over the Indianapolis Colts, head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard made a call.
They needed a quarterback.
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And they knew one they’d each worked with, albeit independently.
So Sunday night, they called 44-year-old Philip Rivers.
“We said, ‘Hey, what do you think?’” Steichen told reporters on Wednesday. “He said, ‘Heck yeah, I’m interested. Heck yeah.”
Ballard and Steichen told Rivers to sleep on it. The eight-time Pro Bowler and 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist did and felt as adamant on Monday morning. So he told the Colts brass he needed to get to Indianapolis to throw and work out.
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And as the Colts saw Rivers “didn’t forget how to throw a football,” per Steichen, the reality began to settle. His decision from a hotel room on Tuesday?
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“He said, ‘Dadgumit, let’s freaking go,’” Steichen recalled the conversation. “So we said, ‘Let’s do it.’ We’re excited for this opportunity.”
The Colts have signed Rivers, now the league’s oldest active player, to their practice squad.
“Certainly I wasn’t really hanging onto any hope [of] playing again,” Rivers said. “I kind of thought that ship had sailed. But something about it excited me. And it’s kind of one of those deals that a door opens and you can either walk through it and find out if you can do it, or run from it.
“I know there’s risk involved obviously or what may or may not happen. But the only way to find out is going for it. And I felt almost like it was a gift and another opportunity to play and cut it loose with the guys in the game you love to play and the dream you got to live. You may get some bonus time. So I really kept it as simple as that in my mind. And here I stand.
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Rivers rejoins the Colts five years after his last action in a 17-year, eight-Pro Bowl career. Rivers won 134 of 240 career regular-season games, completing 64.9% of passes for 63,440 yards, 421 touchdowns and 209 interceptions.
Rivers and Steichen overlapped at the Chargers from 2011-19, Steichen serving as Chargers quarterbacks coach for Rivers’ last four years as well as interim offensive coordinator in 2019.
Rivers’ last NFL action came with the Colts in 2020, after 16 years with the Chargers. He completed 68% of pass attempts for 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as the Chargers advanced to the playoffs. Steichen arrived in Indianapolis two years later.
The Colts’ playoff hopes could hinge on Rivers’ ability.
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The Colts started their season strong, winning eight of their initial 10 contests. Wins over current playoff contenders in the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers highlighted the stretch. But as Jones tried to play through a broken fibula on his left leg, three straight losses followed.
Losing to the Jaguars last week knocked the Colts out of the playoff picture, their 8-5 record now eighth place in the AFC and third in the AFC South beneath the 9-4 Jaguars and 8-5 Texans (the Texans beat the Colts, giving them the tiebreaker).
The Colts currently have a 26% chance to make the playoffs, per Next Gen Stats. If they beat the Seattle Seahawks this week, that chance jumps to 50%, per Next Gen Stat’s model.
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If he starts this week, Rivers would face a Seahawks defense that has tormented quarterbacks far younger and more professionally active in the game than him.
“I know there’s risk involved obviously or what may or may not happen,” Rivers said. “But the only way to find out is going for it. And I felt almost like it was a gift and another opportunity to play and cut it loose with the guys, in the game you love to play and the dream you got to live.
“You may get some bonus time. So I really kept it as simple as that in my mind. And here I stand.”
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