They needed a quarterback.
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And they knew one that each of them had worked with, although independently.
Then, on Sunday night, 44-year-old Philip Rivers was called.
“We said, ‘Hey, what do you think?’” Steichen told reporters Wednesday. “He said, ‘Of course, I’m interested. Of course.'”
Ballard and Steichen told Rivers to sleep on it. The eight-time Pro Bowler and 2026 Football Hall of Fame semifinalist did it and felt just as adamant Monday morning. So he told Colts officials that he needed to get to Indianapolis to pitch and work out.
(Get more Colts news: Indianapolis team information)
And when the Colts saw that Rivers “didn’t forget how to throw a football,” according to Steichen, reality began to set in. His decision from a hotel room on Tuesday?
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“He said, ‘Papagomit, let’s go,’” Steichen recalled the conversation. “So we said, ‘Let’s do it.’ We’re excited about this opportunity.”
The Colts have signed Rivers, now the league’s oldest active player, to their practice squad.
“I certainly didn’t have any hope of playing again,” Rivers said. “I thought that ship had sailed. But something about it excited me. And it’s kind of one of those deals where a door opens and you can walk through it and find out if you can do it, or run away from it.
“I know there are obviously risks involved or what may or may not happen. But the only way to find out is to go for it. And it felt almost like it was a gift and another opportunity to play and let loose with the guys in the game that you love to play and the dream that you have to live. You might get some extra time. So I really kept it as simple as that in my mind. And here I am.
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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 regular season games in his career, completing 64.9% of his passes for 63,440 yards, 421 touchdowns and 209 interceptions.
Rivers and Steichen overlapped on the Chargers from 2011 to 2019, with Steichen serving as the Chargers’ quarterbacks coach for Rivers’ final four years as well as interim offensive coordinator in 2019.
Rivers’ last NFL action was 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 depend on Rivers’ ability.
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The Colts started their season strong, winning eight of their opening 10 games. Victories over current playoff contenders, the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, highlighted the streak. But when Jones attempted to play with a fractured fibula in his left leg, three straight losses followed.
The loss to the Jaguars last week eliminated the Colts from the playoff picture, their 8-5 record now ranking eighth in the AFC and third in the AFC South behind the 9-4 Jaguars and 8-5 Texans (the Texans beat the Colts, giving them the tiebreaker).
The Colts currently have a 26% chance of making the playoffs, according to Next Gen Stats. If they beat the Seattle Seahawks this week, that probability increases to 50%, according to the Next Gen Stat model.
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If he starts this week, Rivers would face a Seahawks defense that has tormented quarterbacks much younger and more professionally active than him.
“I know there are obviously risks involved or what may or may not happen,” Rivers said. “But the only way to find out is to go for it. And it felt almost like it was a gift and another opportunity to play and let loose with the guys, in the game that you love to play and the dream that you have to live.
“You might get some extra time. So I really kept it as simple as that in my mind. And here I am.”