Almost five years after his last NFL game, quarterback Philip Rivers is on the verge of an unexpected comeback.
Viennese Bernhard Raimann’s injury misery for the Indianapolis Colts could catapult the 44-year-old directly onto the pitch in their guest appearance at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Rivers, a grandfather for over a year, has signed for the training squad for the time being. Head coach Shane Steichen wants to wait until the week of training before making a decision.
In training since Wednesday
Quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon over the weekend, and his replacement Riley Leonard was also injured in the 19:36 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Anthony Richardson has been out all season with a broken bone – so Rivers’ phone rang on Monday. He was on the training pitch for the first time on Wednesday.
“I know there’s a risk that something will or won’t happen. But the only way to find out is to try it,” Rivers said.
Physical condition as a question mark
The veteran played his last NFL game to date on January 9, 2021 for the Colts in the play-off against the Buffalo Bills (24:27).
Five years later, Rivers, who has ten children and now also a grandchild, doesn’t know how good he is in shape. This also applies to his weight, as he claimed in his first conversation with reporters.
“It’s definitely not the same as when I retired,” Rivers said. “But: I’ve never run away from anyone.”
Most recently worked as a trainer
Rivers most recently worked as a high school football coach. He has more than 400 touchdown passes in the NFL.
Rivers spent the majority of his career, namely 16 of 17 seasons, with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers – where he already worked with Steichen, then quarterbacks coach.
Rivers led the Colts to the playoffs again in 2020 to mark the actual end of his career. Since then, “Indy” has not reached the knockout phase.
Play-off chance is alive
After a strong start to the season, Indianapolis lost its last three games. With a season record of 8:5, the Raimann team still has a chance of making the play-offs.
Rivers should help his old team and Steichen, who is four years his junior, to achieve the goal. However, Leonard is still an option as a playmaker. The 23-year-old rookie was already training again after his knee injury.
The decision will be made at the end of the week
Contrary to usual practice, Steichen gave Raimann and Co. a full training session on Wednesday in order to integrate Rivers as quickly as possible.
“We’ll see how the week goes and then make a decision at the end of the week,” said the head coach about the quarterback situation. Raimann will be the left tackle in Seattle protecting either a comeback grandpa or an NFL rookie. His team is still hoping for a turnaround.
