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Former NFL QB Explains Why Philip Rivers’s Un-retirement Is ‘Genius’ for His Kids

Kristen Wong

Colts quarterback Philip Rivers is set to make his first start in five years on Sunday against the Seahawks.
Colts quarterback Philip Rivers is set to make his first start in five years on Sunday against the Seahawks. / Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Philip Rivers returning to the NFL might not only benefit the Colts—it could benefit his family, too.

The 44-year-old is set to take his first snaps under center on Sunday after a five-year hiatus from the league, and the jury's still out on how well he'll perform. Some are already fearing the worst, given Rivers's lack of mobility, while others have more optimism about the veteran's accuracy and throwing power based on how he looked in practices this past week.

Regardless of how Sunday's game against the Seahawks shakes out, Rivers coming out of retirement is viewed by many as a shrewd move for one very good reason: it means he gets health insurance again.

Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel broke down why Rivers coming back to the NFL was a "genius" move for his family members in particular.

"He's starting for the Indianapolis Colts versus a really good Seattle Seahawks team," Daniel said. "And here's what's crazy about it, is Philip Rivers and his wife Tiffany have 10 kids. There's 12 people in their family. And he works as a high school coach. Now he's obviously starting, but what's crazy about this is health insurance [in the NFL] expires after five years. The last year that Phil Rivers played was 2020 in COVID. His five years after you play of free health insurance is running out.

"So what does he do? He signed! He went to sign back. He signed to the active roster. ... He's genius. I thought Kurt [Benkert] said this so perfectly. Can you believe that? 100 IQ."

Who among us hasn't gotten a job just for the insurance?

Rivers is set to join an exclusive list of grandfathers who have played a professional sport in their twilight—nay, midnight—years, and it sure looks like his grandkids will be better off for it. Kickoff for the Colts-Seahawks game is 4:25 p.m. ET.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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