Philip Rivers Reportedly Coming Out Of Retirement To Play With Desperate NFL Team
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
In a stunning twist of events, former Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers could end a five-year retirement and return to a familiar NFL team ahead of his 44th birthday.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, the Colts are set to meet with Philip Rivers on Tuesday. The Colts will host the eight-time Pro Bowler on Tuesday and see if he would join their practice squad, the insiders added.
The #Colts are planning to bring potential Hall of Fame QB Philip Rivers into their facility Tuesday to work out to see if he may join their practice squad, per me & @MikeGarafolo.
This is real. Daniel Jones’ season is over, Riley Leonard will start, but Rivers may be an option. pic.twitter.com/H3tQW2R3s7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2025
Unfortunately, Daniel Jones’ feel-good 2025 season ended when he tore his Achilles during Sunday’s road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Backup Anthony Richardson is still on the injured reserve with an orbital fracture, leaving them with unproven rookie Riley Leonard for now.
Earlier today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Leonard has a knee injury and could miss this week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Clearly desperate, the Colts want to see if Philip Rivers has something left in that 43-year-old arm.
Rivers played 16 seasons for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers from 2004 to 2019. He signed with the Colts as a free agent in 2020, leading them to 11 wins and their most recent playoff appearance before retiring in 2021.
Philip Rivers Un-Retiring Would Be The Craziest NFL QB Comeback Story
Tom Brady’s first “retirement” only lasted 40 days. Brett Favre kept alternating between retirement and un-retiring before finally calling it quits after the 2010 season. But a quarterback returning to football after a five-year retirement? That has never happened before.
Before the 2023 season, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that the 49ers would have looked at adding Philip Rivers for Super Bowl 58 against the Kansas City Chiefs, had they won the NFC Championship. The 49ers lost Brock Purdy and backup Josh Johnson to injuries in that game and were forced to put Christian McCaffrey behind center.
Could Rivers complete the craziest NFL comeback story and try to save the Colts season? Stay tuned.
