The Indianapolis Colts entered the offseason knowing that they were going to have some big decisions to make at the quarterback position, and they did just that when they re-signed Daniel Jones to a two-year, $88 million contract. Prior to suffering a torn Achilles tendon that prematurely ended his season, Jones had proven himself to be more than capable of leading Indianapolis’ offense up and down the field.
Once Jones suffered his aforementioned injury, though, the Colts had to scramble to find a new quarterback, and they improbably landed on Philip Rivers, who hadn’t played in the NFL since 2020. Rivers’ return was an unprecedented development never before seen at this level, and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter recently pulled back the curtain on his shocking unretirement last season.
Jim Bob Cooter Dishes on Philip Rivers’ Unretirement Decision
The Colts found themselves in a tough spot last season once Jones tore his Achilles. Anthony Richardson was also on the mend thanks to an orbital bone fracture, and rookie Riley Leonard suffered a right knee injury after immediately stepping in as Jones’ replacement. With Leonard’s status up in the air, Indianapolis had to get creative.
That led head coach Shane Steichen to reach out to Rivers, with whom he had previously worked alongside from 2014 to 2020 in various offensive roles on the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers coaching staff. Rivers finished his career in 2020 with the Colts, but it wasn’t as if he had continued playing football during his retirement, as he had simply worked as a coach at the high school level.
Rivers still kept himself in decent enough shape, though, so when Indianapolis saw that he was still capable of taking the field and slinging the rock, it signed him and made him its starter over Leonard. While he couldn’t prevent the Colts from letting a playoff berth slip out of their hands, Cooter looks back on Rivers’ brief unretirement quite fondly.
“Shane and Philip go way back. Shane stayed in touch with Philip; they’re connected back 10, 15 years,” Cooter said on “NFL Spotlight with Ari Meirov.” “Ideas were being thrown out. We sort of batted a few around, and we kind of looked at each other and said, ‘How crazy is this?’ … Philip did a little workout, threw the ball around, and it was fun to be with him for a few weeks.”
Philip Rivers Heads Back into Retirement After Brief Colts Stint
GettyPhilip Rivers #17 of the Indianapolis Colts
It was certainly fair to wonder, given his age (44 years old) and how much time he had spent away from the game of football, whether or not Rivers would be effective, but he generally managed to hold his own for Indy (58/92, 544 YDS, 4 TD, 3 INT). Sure, the team lost all three of his starts, but he gave the Colts a shot at winning each time he took the field.
While some wondered if Rivers would stick around in the NFL after coming out of retirement, he opted to ride off into the sunset once again this offseason. Coaching at the NFL level could be in Rivers’ future, but for the time being, he seems content to stay in the high school ranks. If something happens to Jones in 2026, folks will surely wonder if Rivers could return to action again, but it seems more than likely that his playing days are officially over now.
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