Philip Rivers didn’t sound like a guy coming out of retirement to sit on the bench.
Rivers, 44, an eight-time Pro Bowl participant and Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist, was signed to the practice squad by Indianapolis on Wednesday, and coach Shane Steichen reportedly has decided the veteran will start Sunday when the Colts visit the Seattle Seahawks.
The Colts signed Rivers from the practice squad to the active roster on Saturday, and The Athletic reported he will start.
No matter that Rivers, a grandfather, hasn’t played since the 2020 season.
“Something about it excited me, and it’s kind of one of those deals, the door opens and you either walk through it and find out if you can do it or you run from it,” Rivers said. “I know there’s risk involved, what may or may not happen, but the only way to find out is going for it.”
Colts starter Daniel Jones sustained a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon last weekend in a 36-19 loss at Jacksonville, and rookie backup Riley Leonard injured his right knee later in the game.
With Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft, still on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone, the Colts promoted Brett Rypien, who hasn’t started since 2023, from the practice squad to the active roster. They then signed Rivers, who spent his final NFL campaign with the Colts after 16 seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers.
Rivers had been coaching the St. Michael Catholic High School team in Fairhope, Ala., for the past five years.
Steichen said the Colts (8-5) gave Rivers a call over the weekend.
“He said, ‘Heck yeah, I’m interested,'” Steichen said. “So he slept on it, and then we called him back Monday morning and he said, ‘I need to get up there and throw in that building.’ So he came in here, and he didn’t forget how to throw a football.”
Rivers admitted he might be a few pounds over his playing weight.
“It’s not what it was when I walked away,” Rivers said. “I follow up with (the fact) that I never ran away from anybody anyway.”
Leonard was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, so the former Duke and Notre Dame standout might get his first NFL start on Sunday. He has completed 18 of 31 passes for 145 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in two appearances off the bench.
“We’ll see how the week goes,” said Steichen, whose team has taken three straight losses to drop a game behind the division-leading Jaguars in the AFC South. “We’ll get to the end of the week and make that decision.”
The Seahawks (10-3) have won three in a row, including a 37-9 victory last Sunday at Atlanta, and are tied with the Los Angeles Rams atop the NFC West.
This will be the third straight week in which the Seahawks will face a backup quarterback. They blanked Minnesota and rookie QB Max Brosmer 26-0 two weeks ago before limiting the Falcons and Kirk Cousins to three field goals last weekend.
Seattle exploded for 31 second-half points at Atlanta to get its offense untracked.
“I feel like we’re in a good spot,” Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold said. “We’ve just got to continue to harp on the details of everything. We know that in the locker room, and we’ll do a good job of that throughout the week.”
The Seahawks will also face a Colts team injured far beyond quarterback.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner (calf), wide receiver Anthony Gould (foot), defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (neck) and offensive tackle Braden Smith (concussion/neck) have all been ruled out for the game. For Seattle, tight end Elijah Arroyo (knee) will miss the game after sitting out practice all week. Fellow tight end Eric Saubert (calf) was limited in practice all week and is questionable while defensive end Ryan Mills (knee) is also questionable, though he did practice in full all week.
–Field Level Media
