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Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. Has High Hopes After Philip Rivers Signing

Pittman admitted he was “definitely a little surprised” the Colts brought Rivers out of retirement.

Madison Williams

The Colts sound pretty excited to have Philip Rivers on the team.
The Colts sound pretty excited to have Philip Rivers on the team. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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The Colts shocked the NFL world by signing Philip Rivers to the practice squad on Tuesday, bringing the quarterback out of retirement after nearly five years.

Indianapolis is pretty desperate for a quarterback after losing Daniel Jones to a season-ending torn Achilles. Rookie Riley Leonard is expected to start on Sunday vs. the Seahawks, but he is dealing with a knee injury. If he’s not able to play, then Rivers will likely be activated and make his first start since the 2020 season.

So, how is the Colts roster feeling about this signing? Are they nervous about possibly having a 44-year-old quarterback who happens to already be a grandfather start for their team? According to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., the team is excited to bring him in. And, the team has high hopes for the playoffs.

“I was definitely a little surprised, but if there’s one guy to call who can do something like this, it’s definitely him,” Pittman said on Up & Adams on Tuesday. “... Realistically, who knows what Phil is capable of? I’m going to say a Super Bowl, that's my realistic expectation because we’re still in this thing. We’re very much alive.”

Rivers has never made a Super Bowl appearance in his career, although he did reach the playoffs seven times in his career, including in 2020 with the Colts during his last season.

The Colts remain in the hunt with an 8–5 record with four games left in the regular season. We’ll see what the team and possibly Rivers can do.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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