Another Reason Why Philip Rivers Joined Indianapolis Colts? Quarterback Convinced Team Can Contend
INDIANAPOLIS — Quarterback Philip Rivers considered retirement for the first time before signing with the Indianapolis Colts in March.
There were several reasons why he didn’t call it quits.
This was a chance to be reunited with coaches who knew him — Colts head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni worked with Rivers as Chargers assistants. Rivers, who turns 39 in December, is also convinced he can still play at a high level after struggling with 20 interceptions in 2019.
And while this might sound overly optimistic, Rivers thinks the Colts give him a chance to accomplish something he’s never done — play in a Super Bowl.
“It certainly plays a part,” Rivers said in a recent Zoom video call. “I feel like every team believes that they’ve got a chance, but there are probably only – all 32 probably don’t really have a chance to win it all each and every year.
“I know whichever team you’re on, you’re going to believe that and as competitors you do, but certainly having the opportunity to come here with what this team has built and (GM) Chris Ballard and Frank (Reich) and (owner) Mr. (Jim) Irsay and the whole organization, and what they’ve built and the direction where we’re headed here, made it exciting. It certainly did.”
The Colts finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years in 2019. They lost too many close games with a Jacoby Brissett-led offense that didn’t throw the ball down the field enough as well as a defense that was unable to protect fourth-quarter leads. And they missed a league-high 15 kicks, including six extra points.
Ballard has reiterated that, despite everything that went wrong, the Colts could have been a 10-win team with a better record in one-score games than 5-6. One of those losses was in the season opener, in overtime on the road to Rivers and the L.A. Chargers.
After the Chargers faltered to 5-11, they informed the man who holds most of the franchise’s passing records that he would not be re-signed. When Rivers signed with the Colts for one year and $25 million, he said he hoped his relationship with a new NFL employer would extend beyond 2020.
That depends on how he plays with an offense that ranked seventh in rushing and has a stronger offensive line than what Rivers had in L.A.
Perhaps more important than anything else, Rivers realized he still has the burning desire to keep playing.
“I do still love to play. I love to suit up and play,” he said. “I love the camaraderie in the locker room. I love being a teammate. I love all that comes with it. The life lessons – still being able to come home after a day’s work or come home after a game win or lose, and have good discussions with my children and family about things you’ve learned and how to deal with things.
“There’s still a lot of value in it, way beyond trying to lead a team to a championship, but certainly that is the ultimate goal and having an opportunity to be on a team and be part of the team where that’s a realistic goal certainly was a positive.”
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
