Steelers' Mike Tomlin Has Priceless Reaction to Philip Rivers News

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the football world received some surprising news upon learning that 44-year-old Phillip Rivers was coming out of retirement and signing to the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad after starting quarterback Daniel Jones ruptured his Achilles tendon in Week 14, ending his season.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was seemingly unaware of the fact that Rivers was making his way back to the NFL after initially hanging up his cleats five years ago when asked about the ordeal, which made for a comedic moment during his weekly press conference.

After telling a reporter that he had, "no idea what he was talking about," when first approached with the topic, Tomlin then opted not to go into detail and chose to keep the focus on Pittsburgh's upcoming primetime showdown against the Miami Dolphins.

"That's none of my business, man," Tomlin said. "I'm trying to get ready for the Dolphins."

Mike Tomlin's reaction to finding out Philip Rivers was doing a workout for the Colts pic.twitter.com/204ryqsv6s
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) December 10, 2025

Pittsburgh already faced the Colts this season, defeating them by a score of 27-20 at Acrisure Stadium in Week 9, meaning it won't get a crack at Rivers unless the two teams face off in the playoffs.

Rivers' Career and History with Steelers

Rivers spent the 2020 campaign with the Colts. He led them to an 11-5 record in the regular season at 39-years-old while throwing for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, though one of those losses came vs. Pittsburgh in Week 16 as it clinched the AFC North title.

Indianapolis bowed out in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Buffalo Bills, and Rivers called it a career after that.

He was a member of the 2004 draft class that also featured a pair of other Hall of Fame-worthy quarterbacks in Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. Manning (No. 1 pick) and Rivers (No. 4) were traded for one another on draft night, with the former going to the New York Giants while the latter headed to the San Diego Chargers, and Roethlisberger was selected by Pittsburgh with the No. 11 pick.

Rivers ended up spending 16 years with the Chargers and made eight Pro Bowls with them while throwing for the seventh-most yards (63,440) and sixth-most touchdowns (421) in league history throughout his entire career.

Roethlisberger, on the other hand, ranks sixth in yards at 64,088 and eighth in touchdowns with 318, though he won two Super Bowls while Rivers won none.

Rivers had been among the 26 modern-era semifinalists who were eligible for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026, but if he joins Indianapolis' active roster, his clock would restart and he'd then have to wait until 2031 to potentially be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

Rivers faced off against the Steelers eight times in his career during the regular season and went 3-5 with 2,114 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also lost to Pittsburgh in the Divisional Round of the playoffs during the 2008 campaign.

Jan 9, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) in action against the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter of a AFC Wild Card game at Bills Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

How Steelers Can Face Rivers in Postseason

Pittsburgh is currently sitting a game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North at 7-6 while the Colts fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week and are now tied with the Houston Texans for second place in the AFC South with an 8-5 record.

The Steelers, as the No. 4 seed, would face the Chargers as the No. 5 seed if the season were to end today. Meanwhile, the Texans defeated Indianapolis in Week 13 and thus holds the tiebreaker for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC over it, meaning the Colts wouldn't make the playoffs at the moment.

With about a month left in the regular season, though, a lot can change. However, it would still take a miracle of sorts for Indianapolis to turn around its year and surpass the Chargers, Bills and Texans en route to securing the No. 5 seed and facing Pittsburgh, who would almost surely slot in as the No. 4 seed should it win the AFC North.

A matchup between the two teams would become more likely if the Steelers were to finish off the year hot and move up to the No. 3 seed ahead of the Jaguars, but that's not a particularly probable scenario at this juncture, nor is Pittsburgh earning a Wild Card spot instead of winning its division and facing the Colts in an event where they take home the AFC South.

A Rivers matchup against the Steelers in the playoffs is more or less implausible at this point in time, but crazier things have happened.

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