Eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers celebrated his 44th birthday with a workout for the Indianapolis Colts on Monday and agreed to sign with the team on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
Also on Tuesday, the Colts officially placed quarterback Daniel Jones on injured reserve with a torn Achilles tendon, while cornerback Chris Lammons (foot) also was placed on IR. Cornerback Cameron Mitchell was signed to the 53-man roster and cornerback Troy Pride Jr. was signed to the practice squad.
The Colts brought in Rivers for a workout on Monday with the plan to potentially add him to the practice squad with three quarterbacks injured. Rivers has not played since the 2020 season with Indianapolis.
Rivers knows many players on the current roster. He shared the backfield with 2025 NFL leading rusher Jonathan Taylor and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. caught 40 passes in 2020.
He might need a formal introduction to rookie tight end Tyler Warren. The first-round pick was a freshman at Penn State when Rivers hung up his cleats and was born in 2002, the same year as Rivers’ oldest child, Halle.
But according to reports, there are no physical reservations from the team about Rivers, a father of 10 who also is a grandfather.
Rivers, who is four years older than Colts head coach Shane Steichen, was coaching high school football last month when he learned he was a semifinalist for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Armed with 134 career victories, Rivers whipped the ball around the field without a problem on Monday and was not in “retirement shape,” according to Sports Illustrated.
Where he might land in the Colts’ pecking order at the position most likely will be decided by the health of the other options on the roster.
Jones, who was enjoying a resurgence in his first season with the Colts, went down with his season-ending Achilles injury in Sunday’s 36-19 loss at Jacksonville. Backup Riley Leonard, who replaced Jones, is dealing with a knee injury.
The 23-year-old 2025 sixth-round draft pick is expected to make the start at Seattle on Sunday, but there is a chance Rivers would be the backup depending on the course the rest of the week takes.
Former first-round pick Anthony Richardson is not an option this week, Steichen said. Richardson is on IR but eligible to return. He suffered a broken orbital bone in October and has not been medically cleared to participate.
The only other option in the building is veteran Brett Rypien, who is on the practice squad.
Signing an over-the-hill quarterback off the couch isn’t without precedent. Joe Flacco was driving the family carpool and playing catch in the backyard to stay in shape when the Cleveland Browns called in 2022. He signed to the practice squad on Nov. 20 and then played all five games in December. The Browns won four of them, Flacco threw 13 touchdown passes with four 300-yard games and steered Cleveland into the playoffs.
Last season, Flacco was the backup to Richardson. He left in the offseason as a free agent and began the 2025 regular season as Cleveland’s starter at age 40.
After playing 16 seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Rivers completed his career with the Colts in 2020. He threw for more than 4,000 yards for the 12th time in 13 seasons, tossing 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the 11-5 squad.
Rivers ranks seventh in NFL history with 63,440 passing yards and sixth with 421 touchdown passes.
He is one of the 26 semifinalists for the Class of 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Should Rivers join the Colts’ active roster, his Hall of Fame eligibility clock would reset — thereby igniting another five-year wait, per NFL Network. If he’s signed to the practice squad, however, the clock would not reset.
Lammons, 29, was injured in Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. He has 17 tackles and an interception in 10 games (one start) this season and has 61 tackles with two interceptions in 70 career games (three starts) over seven seasons with three teams.
Mitchell, 24, has five tackles for the Colts in four games (no starts) this season. Pride, 27, last played in the NFL in 2024 with the Denver Broncos and has 45 tackles in 17 career games (nine starts).
–Field Level Media
