So the 44-year-old grandfather and Hall of Fame semi-finalist comes out of retirement and rejoins the Indianapolis Colts.
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Just hours after team officials announced they had signed Rivers to the practice squad, the eight-time Pro Bowler told reporters he is looking forward to his first NFL snaps since 2020 and looks forward to starting Sunday’s crucial game in Seattle.
“Something about this excited me and it’s kind of one of those deals, the door opens and you go through it and you find out if you can do it or you run away from it,” he said. “I know there’s a risk, what may or may not happen, but the only way to find out is to try.”
While the exuberant Rivers has never been prone to backing down from a challenge, he has never faced one like this.
Rivers spent the last five years in Fairhope, Alabama, coaching the St. Michael Catholic High School football team. However, his mind never strayed far from the NFL. He said he routinely watched the Los Angeles Chargers and Colts, the two teams he played for during his first 17 seasons, and was watching again last weekend when Daniel Jones suffered a torn right Achilles tendon that ended his season in a 36-19 loss at Jacksonville.
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Rivers said he immediately wondered if the Colts might call.
Little did I know at the time, like the Colts (8-5), that rookie backup Riley Leonard also injured his right knee during the game, creating even more urgency for a team struggling to keep its playoff hopes alive. Then the phone rang.
“He said, ‘Hell yeah, I’m interested,'” said Colts coach Shane Steichen, who worked with Rivers when both were with the Chargers. “So he slept and then we called him Monday morning and he said, ‘I need to go up there and build that building.’ So he came here and he didn’t forget how to throw a football.”
Steichen said it was possible Rivers could start Sunday, depending on how things go this week.
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On the other hand, Rivers has done almost everything in his career except win a championship.
He finished the first part of his career ranked among the league leaders with more than 63,000 passing yards, more than 400 touchdown passes and 134 career wins. He was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2013, and has been around long enough that the former NC State star was the key piece in the trade that sent two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning to the New York Giants in 2004.
The bigger question is what can the Colts expect from this version of Rivers?
While he worked and pitched at home, Rivers recognizes there is a significant difference between what he has done and what it takes to successfully run a pro offense against one of the league’s best defenses. And while Steichen said his playbook largely resembles the one he and Rivers used during their tenure with the Chargers, they still have to navigate some new aspects.
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This time it also weighs more.
“I don’t know, just to be honest,” he said when asked about his weight, drawing laughter. “It’s not what it was when I ran away. However, I still say I never ran away from anyone anyway.”
The Colts were desperate after losing Jones and possibly Leonard, who was expected to practice Wednesday.
Anthony Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, remains on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone and Indy finally promoted veteran Brett Rypien from the practice squad to the active roster on Wednesday. Rypien has not started a game since 2023.
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The good news for Indy: Rivers has some familiarity with players like Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr. and Quenton Nelson from his last stint in Indy.
And with Indianapolis closing the season against four potential playoff teams – Seattle (10-3), Jacksonville (9-4), San Francisco (9-4) and Houston (8-5) – they needed a steady hand to try to end a four-year postseason drought.
So they’re giving Rivers a chance to get back to the playoffs and maybe the Super Bowl.
“Immediately the competitor in you gets you excited and you think, ‘Are you serious?’” Rivers said, referring to the phone call. “I know air routes are not playing the position on Sunday afternoon, I know that. But I have no reservations about going out there and throwing and doing those things, it feels good. So we’re going to take it day by day, but I’m excited. I feel good.”
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