Philip Rivers played his last NFL game in January 2021 – now he is returning.Bild: www.imago-images.de
The Indianapolis Colts have bet everything on this season. Then the NFL team collapsed and was hit hard by injuries. Now a 44-year-old who resigned almost five years ago is supposed to be the savior.
12.12.2025, 08:4812.12.2025, 08:48
At the beginning of November, the Indianapolis Colts were still leading the AFC, one of the NFL’s two conferences, with seven wins from eight games. The atmosphere was excellent, the Colts saw themselves as contenders for the Super Bowl and made a mega trade for star defender Sauce Gardner. It was a big risk that the Colts took due to the high price.
A good month later, Indianapolis’ plan to go all-in this season and continue to be competitive with Daniel Jones at quarterback has collapsed like a house of cards. The Colts have only won one of the last five games and as things stand, they would not be in the playoffs.
Daniel Jones surprised everyone this year, but now his season has come to an early end.Bild: www.imago-images.de
But it’s not just the fall in the table that creates a subdued mood. Cornerback Gardner injured his calf in the penultimate game and it is currently unclear when he will return. And last weekend, quarterback Jones also suffered an injury. In the painful defeat against division rivals Jacksonville, the 28-year-old’s Achilles tendon tore, and he will probably miss the rest of this season.
The new hopeful resigned 5 years ago
Because the Colts gave up their first-round picks in the next two drafts to the New York Jets in the Gardner trade, defeats hurt twice as much. The more they collect, the better their picks are – which now belong to the Jets. When, after Jones, backup quarterback Riley Leonard complained of health problems on Monday, Indianapolis found itself in a desperate position. The former super talent Anthony Richardson is still not cured of his eye injury.
So those responsible around general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen called an old acquaintance: Philip Rivers. The 44-year-old played his last season for the Colts in 2020/21; he previously played for the Chargers for 16 years in San Diego and Los Angeles, which is also where he knows Steichen from. The current Colts head coach worked there as offensive coordinator and has since maintained a good friendship with Rivers, who is four years his senior.
Philip Rivers and Shane Steichen (m.) during their time with the Los Angeles Chargers.Bild: www.imago-images.de
Rivers has ten children and is already a grandfather
After leading the Colts to eleven wins from 16 games and narrowly missing out on victory in the first round of the playoffs in Buffalo, Rivers resigned in January 2021. He hasn’t played American football professionally for almost five years. Instead, he worked as a coach at a high school in Alabama, where he most recently coached his son Gunner, also a quarterback. Rivers not only has nine other children, but also a grandchild, who his eldest daughter Halle gave birth to at the end of 2024.
Due to the precarious situation at the quarterback position, Ballard, Steichen and Co. still thought of Grandpa Rivers. The alternatives are few and far between – trades are no longer allowed at this point in the season. Philip Rivers also knows Steichen’s offense and the Colts’ organization. On his 44th birthday, he showed up for a trial on Monday and was given a contract the next day. For the time being he is only part of the so-called practice squad, meaning he only takes part in the training sessions and not in the games. But Coach Steichen announced that Rivers could play this weekend. This would make him the oldest active NFL professional.
Several team members told ESPN they were amazed at Rivers’ condition in the first practice session. Of course he’s not in match shape, but: “He can still throw the ball,” says the team. Another source says of the playmaker, who has always had a strong arm: “Even in his current condition, I prefer him to most 22- or 23-year-old backup quarterbacks.”
One of the best quarterbacks in history
There seems to be no question that the self-confident Rivers, who is known for his trash talk – always free of curse words – believes that he can still compete at the highest level. In the summer, the man with the sixth-most touchdown passes (421) and the seventh-most passing yards (63,440) in NFL history explained: “I’m a little heavier than I used to be, but I could still play a game. I might need a wheelchair the next morning. But, yes, I can still play a little.”
Star receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who played with Rivers in his rookie season, expressed his surprise at the signing on the NFL show “Up & Adams”, but also said: “If there’s a guy who can do something like that, it’s definitely him.” The 28-year-old still believes in his team’s chances of winning the title: “We are still alive.”
In order not to let these chances die, the Colts are now counting on a 44-year-old grandfather. Rivers brings with him the experience of twelve playoff games, seven of which were lost. In order to reach the playoffs, the Colts will probably have to win two of the four remaining regular season games. Given the remaining opponents – Seattle, San Francisco and division rivals Jacksonville and Houston – this will be a difficult task.
“It’s one of those moments where a door opens and you either go through it and find out if you can do it or run away,” Rivers said of his return to the Colts. And he’s not one to run away, so the little extra weight compared to his best times doesn’t make a difference. Especially since he doesn’t know exactly how much he weighs anyway. The 1.96 m man now wants to find out whether he still has it.
