Veteran NFL quarterback Philip Rivers has officially come out of retirement and has signed a deal with the Indianapolis Colts to join their practice squad the team announced Wednesday.
The move comes after days of speculation as to whether the now 44 year old would officially end his retirement or whether he and the team were just toying with the idea of adding an 18th NFL season to his resume. Indianapolis ended that uncertainty by inking him to a new deal, while elevating Brett Rypien and Blake Grupe to their active roster.
Evidently the Colts liked what they saw in Monday night’s workout, and will now add the former Chargers standout to the team. Anthony Richardson (facial fracture), Riley Leonard (knee) and starter Daniel Jones (Achilles) are all currently sidelined, leaving Indianapolis exceptionally thin at the QB position.
It remains to be seen what role Rivers will have as the team prepares to take on the Seattle Seahawks this week. In all likelihood, Rypien will serve as the team’s QB1, with Rivers acting as a backup, as it would be an extremely tall task for the former 1st rounder to walk in off the street and be NFL ready following a nearly 5 year hiatus.
In his last stint with the Colts, the team went 11-5 with Rivers under centre, as he threw for 4,169 yards and 24 TDs back in 2020. Indianapolis would go on to make the playoffs before bowing out against the Buffalo Bills, paving the way for Rivers to retire.
Indy is currently in free fall in the AFC playoff picture, going from at one point in contention for the number 1 overall seed, to suddenly 3rd in their division. Losers of 3 straight games, the Colts find themselves fighting for their playoff lives down the stretch.
If Rivers does in fact suit up for a game, it would reset his Pro Football Hall of Fame clock, making the earliest that he could be inducted 2031. The veteran signal caller is currently a semi-finalist for induction into Canton as a member of the Class of 2026.
Photo: Behind Enemy Lines: Titans at Colts. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.