In one of the most shocking developments of this NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts have signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers to their practice squad. The eight-time Pro-Bowler finished his career with Indy in 2020, representing the Colts for one season as he led them to an 11-5 record and a nail-biting playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Colts QB1 Daniel Jones, amid the best season of his career in which he was averaging a career-best 253.4 passing yards, tore his Achilles during the team’s most recent loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. WIth backup youngster Anthony Richardon already sidelined on the injured reserve list, Jones’ season-ending injury set the stage for the Rivers signing.
The football world is buzzing with responses to the shocking reunion between Rivers and his former squad. Rich Eisen of The Rich Eisen Show spoke about Rivers’ return to Indianapolis, posing the question of whether Rivers will be called up from the practice squad and actually suit up at 44 years of age.
“Philip Rivers has been signed by the Indianapolis Colts in 2025 … Do we see him under center for the Colts? Does he actually have the ability to come off the couch, come out of his home in Alabama, and play football in December … This is nuts,” Eisen said.
Rivers would become just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to start a game at age 44 or older. He would also restart his Pro Football Hall-of-Fame clock and delay his candidacy for it by five years, but football fans should be more concerned with whether Rivers can potentially give them the story of the season by turning back the clock and helping the Colts push for the playoffs.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith revealed on First Take just how stunned and entertained he was by the Rivers signing.
“I have to admit, this was absolutely hysterical for me when I heard this news … America, Philip Rivers is 44 years old. He has 10 children, he recently became a grandfather. He’s been retired for five years. Let’s put it all in proper perspective … It’s no disrespect to Philip Rivers. Last time we saw him playing for the Colts, he guided them to an 11-5 record,” Smith said.
Former NFL superstar and future Hall-of-Famer JJ Watt gave a much more optimistic take on Rivers’ potentially epic return to the league. Watt tweeted about Rivers’ familiarity with Indianapolis’ offense and Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who was an assistant coach for the Chargers for nearly a decade of Rivers’ tenure in Los Angeles.
“Philip Rivers about to be must see TV. This is phenomenal content … Fun fact learned in production meetings: Philip Rivers ran the same offense as the Colts for his son Gunnar’s HS team this season. He and Shane Steichen spoke weekly about it, discussing plays and even film. So familiarity with the scheme should be no problem whatsoever,” Watt wrote.
Watt’s confidence in Rivers’ should give Colts fans some extra hope for a miracle stretch to end the season. The Colts have suffered a three-game losing skid that has plummeted them from an 8-2 record to an 8-5 record.
Only time will tell if Rivers does indeed suit up for the Colts in an attempt to inject new life into a team that has lost all of its steam in the second half of the season.