Colts to start Philip Rivers vs. Seahawks just days after QB came out of retirement

Dadgummit, Philip Rivers is officially returning to an NFL roster.

More than four years after playing his last snap, Rivers will be elevated from the Indianapolis Colts practice squad to the team’s active roster to start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported.

The Colts have since announced Rivers’ signing to the active roster from the practice squad.

Rivers flew in for a workout with the team on Monday — his 44th birthday — signed to the practice squad on Tuesday and was officially elevated on Saturday.

With his signing to the active roster, Rivers, recently named a Hall of Fame modern-era semifinalist, will lose his eligibility to be voted into Canton during this cycle. His waiting period will now reset to five years from the end of his final season.

Rivers previously took his last NFL snap on Jan. 9, 2021, turning in an excellent showing in the Colts’ 27-24 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills with 309 yards and two touchdowns. His TD tosses were to Jack Doyle and Zach Pascal — neither is currently on an NFL roster. Though then-rookie Jonathan Taylor also had a TD in the defeat.

Rivers’ shocking comeback is equal parts feel-good story and an underscoring of the desperation of the Colts, who have slid from a surprising 7-1 start to a team on the playoff bubble after three straight losses with nary a healthy quarterback on the roster. Starter Daniel Jones tore his Achilles on Sunday and is out for the season; his initial replacement, rookie Riley Leonard, dealt with a knee injury this week, and backup Anthony Richardson remains on injured reserve with a broken orbital.

Leonard, who was full practice participant throughout the week, could also play on Sunday after he and Rivers both took first-team reps in practice, per Rapoport.

General manager Chris Ballard has turned to a familiar face in Rivers, one head coach Shane Steichen knows well. Steichen was Rivers’ QB coach with the Chargers from 2016-19 and his interim offensive coordinator in 2019. The hope is that Rivers’ knowledge of Steichen’s offense will bode well for a quick acclimation — if such a thing exists for a player who took his last snap during the 2020 season.

Rivers told reporters on Wednesday that his relationship with Steichen was one of the primary reasons decided to attempt a comeback.

“As simple as can be, a coach that I love and an organization that I really enjoyed being with,” Rivers said.

A legend with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Rivers was selected with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Giants before he was traded to the Bolts in a swap that also saw Eli Manning sent from the Chargers to Big Blue.

From 2004 through 2019, Rivers was with the Chargers, earning eight Pro Bowl selections and the 2013 AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. He signed with the Colts in the spring of 2020 as one of many quarterbacks whom the franchise looked to after the stunning retirement of Andrew Luck. Now comes Rivers’ stunning unretirement.

Over 17 seasons, Rivers played in 244 games (240 starts), completing 5,277 of 8,134 passes (64.9%) for 63,440 yards (seventh in NFL history), 421 touchdowns (sixth in NFL history) and 209 interceptions.

Known for his unconventional, almost-sidearm throwing motion and his propensity to talk trash without cursing, Rivers should at the very least inject some excitement into the Colts QB room.

Rivers went out in 2020 with an excellent showing, finishing 11-5 with the Colts, with 4,169 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and 97.0 passer rating. Since then, though, he’s become a grandfather and been a high school football coach, leading St. Michael Catholic (Alabama) to a 13-1 record this past season and tallying a 44-16 mark from 2021 through 2025.

On Sunday, he’ll buckle up the chinstrap for one more run and look to stiff-arm Father Time.

We’re about to see what Rivers and the Colts have left in the tank in 2025.