Philip Rivers Makes First Comments on Return to NFL, Colts After Five Years

Philip Rivers was cracking jokes shortly after his return to the Colts.

Philip Rivers signed to the Colts practice squad this week. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Colts officially announced that they had signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers to the practice squad on Wednesday, bringing back Rivers after a five-year exodus amid injuries to quarterbacks Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard.

There is a possibility that Rivers, who last played during the Colts’ loss to the Bills in the 2020-21 wild card round, starts this weekend for Indianapolis in its game against the Seahawks. Colts head coach Shane Steichen has not named a starter, but Rivers said he is preparing like he will be playing on Sunday.

Albert Breer: Inside the 48 Hours When the Colts Lured Philip Rivers Out of Retirement

Rivers, who was officially re-introduced to Colts media after the signing, quickly joked about how times have changed since he last played upon his arrival, saying, “No Zoom? Let's go!”

2025 #Colts quarterback Philip Rivers: pic.twitter.com/pTVNcdNvDS

— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) December 10, 2025

Rivers acknowledged that he and his wife are both nervous about the physical aspect of the return. When asked if he’s ready, he replied, “We gonna find out that too. I think so, I know five years is a long time, believe me that weighed on me a lot with it being so long.” He joked about potential injury concerns, “If something like that happens, shoot I have a long time to recover.”

He also acknowledged that his playing weight is not the same as it was when he last played. “Not what it was when I walked off the field in. But I ain’t never ran away from anybody anyways,” Rivers said, prompting laughter across the press room.

Beyond the jokes, Rivers had a realistic view of the situation that has shocked much of the NFL. "I wasn't hanging onto any hope of playing again. I thought that ship had sailed. Something about it excited me. ... I know that there’s risk involved. The only way to find out is going for it.”

Rivers was honest that after five years, he of course has had doubts coming in. He knows that there are plenty of aspects of the game he can only experience in live action. He is confident in the mental side of the game—especially thanks to his familiarity with the Colts offense—and his ability to make throws.

“Shoot, we gotta stinking run the crap out of the ball and play defense and do all those things,” Rivers said. “If that comes to be and I’m the one that’s out there, I’m not here to try to save the day. I’m gonna know where I’m limited and as we go, it will get better.”

---

FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI. dark

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

feed