NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – NOVEMBER 12: Philip Rivers #17 of the Indianapolis Colts watches action during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 12, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
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The Indianapolis Colts thought outside of the box to bring in a new quarterback, signing Philip Rivers to the practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Why The Colts Are Bringing In Philip Rivers
The Colts are entirely depleted at quarterback with starter Daniel Jones suffering an achilles injury on Sunday and rookie Riley Leonard injuring his knee in relief of Jones. Anthony Richardson went on injured reserve in October, which left practice squad quarterback Brett Rypien as the only healthy option for the Colts. Leonard’s status for Sunday’s road game against the 10-3 Seattle Seahawks is up in the air.
Rivers will be the oldest player in the NFL at 44. Rivers last played in 2020, which was an 11-5 campaign and postseason appearance with the Colts, which is the last time the franchise made the playoffs.
Rivers spent his first 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers franchise. What makes the signing even more fascinating is that he’s a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist for the Class of 2026. Rivers ranks No. 7 all-time with 63,400 yards and No. 6 in passing touchdowns with 421.
Per ESPN, Rivers’ workout “was impressive” and he threw the ball well, however, ESPN’s source also noted Rivers must “improve his conditioning.”
The expectation is for Rivers to practice Wednesday and Thursday before determining if he is ready to start. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Rivers will “support Riley Leonard and serve as a potential option down the road.”
Rivers has high familiarity with the Colts’ offensive scheme. Rivers knows Colts head coach Shane Steichen well, spending six years together with the Chargers, where Steichen was an assistant. Rivers often discusses football with Steichen on a weekly basis. And Rivers, who is the head coach of his son Gunner’s high school team in Fairhope, Alabama, runs the same offensive scheme as the Colts, according to JJ Watt.
The Colts Face An Uphill Battle Making The Playoffs
The Colts are 8-5 and currently the No. 8 seed in the AFC, which is one seed away from playoff contention. The No. 7 seed Houston Texans moved ahead of the Colts with a win on Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Colts have now lost three games in a row and four out of five.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Colts currently have just a 32% chance of making the playoffs. The Colts’ remaining schedule is incredibly challenging with road games against the Seattle Seahawks (10-3) and Houston Texans (8-5) and home games versus the San Francisco 49ers (9-4) and Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4).
It would be hard enough for Rivers to rattle off consecutive wins in his prime with the matchups the Colts have looming, let alone a 44-year-old version that hasn’t seen NFL action since 2020. While Rivers shouldn’t be counted on, he shouldn’t be counted out either. Whether Rivers performs remarkably or he gets battered and bruised, this is an intriguing storyline during the final stretch of the regular season.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorwoods/2025/12/09/philip-rivers-signing-with-the-colts-is-a-fascinating-nfl-storyline/
