NC State Legend Likely Finishes NFL Comeback

RALEIGH — For three weeks, the NC State football community and fans of the NFL around the country were captivated and enthralled by the return of 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers. The veteran signal caller finished his NFL comeback with a third-straight loss to yet another playoff team, but walked off with head held high, having accomplished something no one expected.

Rivers won't play in the Indianapolis Colts' regular-season finale after his team lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, ending the Wolfpack legend's unbelievable run. While some doubted the 44-year-old would suit up for the Jaguars matchup, he wanted one more shot at a win and gave it his all.

Rivers reflects on his journey

Philip Rivers played his last game with NC State in December 2003, leading the Wolfpack to a win in the Tangerine Bowl.

22 years later, he is still throwing touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/NMCg0TscvV
— Tucker Sennett (@SennettTucker) December 14, 2025

22 years after he played his last game in a Wolfpack uniform, Rivers took the field for what was likely one last time. He finished the game with 147 yards, one touchdown pass and an interception, ending his three-game run with 544 yards, four touchdowns and three picks thrown. While it wasn't pretty at times, the future Hall of Famer showed he could still hang with talented NFL defenses.

"I told you guys I wasn't going to have any regrets about coming back and I don't," Rivers told reporters after the loss. "Other than us not winning ... it's been an absolute blast for three weeks. If I go back and say, 'All right, now you know everything's going to happen, what are you going to do?' I'd do it all again. It's been absolutely awesome. So, yeah, I mean, if it's the last one, it's the last one."

"I wasn't chasing glory... It was just a chance to play again that came out of nowhere."

🙏 Even with the Colts out of playoff contention, Philip Rivers remains grateful just to be back on the football field. pic.twitter.com/PFpulifrAK
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 28, 2025

Much like the current coach of NC State, Dave Doeren, Rivers didn't pay attention to the fact that the Colts were already eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday after starting the season with a 7-1 record. He came in as the stopgap for a disastrous slide for Indianapolis, but for Rivers, it was about more than that. It was about one more shot at playing with the best.

"To say a game is meaningless is not in my DNA,” Rivers said. "... “Those games we played in the backyard, and we were 10 years old, (they) weren’t meaningless, right?... Everything we do matters.”

"If it's the last one, it's the last one."

Philip Rivers has no regrets on his return to football. pic.twitter.com/0A7qqbKKZU
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 28, 2025

Rivers showed young players like his son, Gunner, and incoming NC State running back Noah Moss, who both played for the veteran quarterback at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, what it takes to play at the next level. For him, that is a win.

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