Philip Rivers return the football field was exciting, as the veteran quarterback filled in for Daniel Jones on a desperate Indianapolis Colts team.
Unfortunately for the Colts and Rivers, Indianapolis lost all three games the quarterback started, pushing Indianapolis out of the playoff picture for good. While Rivers helped steady the quarterback position, it wasn't enough to propel the Colts back to the postseason.
Moving forward, Indianapolis has to assess its team for the 2026 season, which likely doesn't include Rivers. Here's a look at what's next for the veteran quarterback.
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What's next for Philip Rivers?
With the Colts officially eliminated from playoff contention, Rivers' time in the NFL may be over.
Indianapolis will look to the future in Week 18, focusing more on developing younger players. That doesn't include Rivers, who was brought out of retirement to try and bring the Colts to the playoffs.
Therefore, Rivers might have played his last game in the NFL in Week 17. The quarterback said he will not return next year regardless of whether he plays in Week 18.
"If this is the last one, I told you guys, I'm not going to have any regrets, and I don't," Rivers said, via the Indianapolis Star. "If you could say, you know everything that's going to happen, would you do it all again? I'd do it all again."
Who is starting for Colts in Week 18?
With the Colts out of playoff contention, Indianapolis is expected to start Riley Leonard in Week 18 against the Houston Texans. Leonard was a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and has played in three games this year, totaling 145 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
Riley Leonard will likely start over Philip Rivers at QB for the Colts next week, per @RapSheet. Pic.twitter.com/6SARftqaHN
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 28, 2025
Part of the reason why the Colts signed Rivers out of retirement was due to Leonard's inexperience, so this will allow the team to develop Leonard with nothing on the line.
After the game, head coach Shane Steichen said he will think over the decision and name next week's starting quarterback on Tuesday.
Philip Rivers stats with Colts
Here's a look at Rivers' stats on the season:
- Games: 3
- Completion percentage: 66.1%
- Passing yards: 397
- Yards per attempt: 6.4
- Touchdowns: 4
- Interceptions: 3
- Sacks: 5
- Passer Ratin g: 50.9
In his three games, Rivers gave Indianapolis respectable efforts, but ultimately came away 0-3 on the year.
| Opponent | Completion percentage | Passing yards | Yards per attempt | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Sacks | Passer Rating |
| @ Seahawks | 66.7% | 120 | 4.4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 73.1 |
| vs. 49ers | 65.7% | 277 | 7.9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 97.0 |
| vs. Jaguars | 56.7% | 147 | 4.9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 66.9 |
Will Philip Rivers retire?
Rivers said that no matter how this season ends, he will retire at the end of the year. The veteran quarterback viewed these games as three bonus contest in his career.
“I got three bonus games that I never saw coming, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
— Angela Moryan (@AngelaMoryanTV) December 28, 2025
Philip Rivers gets emotional talking about the potential of this being the last game of his legendary NFL career. #Colts #ForTheShoe @WISHNews8 pic.twitter.com/cD9mzIt70U
Rivers initially came out of retirement due to his familiarity with the Colts and head coach Shane Steichen, but isn't interested in sticking around long-term.