The Other Time Philip Rivers Came Close to an NFL Return

Rivers was considered an emergency option for a team in 2023.

Rivers will head to the Colts' facility for a workout with the QB room severely depleted. / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The NFL world was left absolutely gobsmacked on Monday night when news broke that the Colts are bringing in retired veteran quarterback Philip Rivers for a workout amid a rash of injuries that have hobbled their QB room. As things stand, starter Daniel Jones is out for the season with an Achilles injury, former QB2 Anthony Richardson is on IR, and recently-promoted third-stringer Riley Leonard, though in line to start this weekend, is dealing with some knee issues and might not be ready. And though there is a plan in place should that be the case, adding a veteran QB certainly wouldn't hurt.

Rivers, 44, spent the last season of his career playing for the Colts in 2020, when he threw for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 16 games. The team finished 11-5 and made it to the wild-card round of the playoffs.

It's important to remember that, despite the excited reaction the news has already gotten from fans, no decision has been made here; Rivers is just coming in for a workout. That said, this also isn't the first time he has come close to unretiring to help a team in need.

In 2023, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Rivers was the team's contingency plan should it have advanced to Super Bowl LVIIl. (Both Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson got hurt during the NFC championship game, which the Niners ultimately lost, and the team had already been without Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo before that.)

"He was prepared to," Shanahan said of Rivers, in August of that year. "Now that's stuff we talked about throughout the whole year. We would've had to have seen how that was for the Super Bowl, but that was the plan most of the year."

"I heard from a couple of teams, just kind of checking in," Rivers told AL.com in March 2023. "I didn't contact anyone and I'm not going anywhere. I think maybe some teams, with some guys going down, may have been just looking for a contingency plan."

Of course, the situation never materialized, and Rivers did not make a return. If he does come back for the Colts, however, it's possible he could save the team's championship-caliber season and even play in his first Super Bowl, should things go according to plan.

Philip Rivers career history

Rivers initially entered the league as the fourth overall pick of the 2004 draft. He played for 17 seasons—16 with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and one with the Colts. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and the Comeback Player of the Year in 2013. He retired in January 2021, but then signed a one-day contract with L.A. to retire as a Charger in July of 2025.

He finished his career with 63,440 passing yards (which ranks seventh in NFL history) and 209 touchdowns.

Since hanging up his jersey, Rivers has served as the football coach at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Ala.

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