Why Philip Rivers and Daniel Jones Are Both Wearing No. 17 for the Colts

Both Indy quarterbacks will be assigned No. 17 for the rest of the season.

Philip Rivers and Daniel Jones are both wearing No. 17 for the Colts. | Rivers: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Jones: Travis Register-Imagn Images

The Colts are getting ready to take on the Seahawks in Seattle this coming Sunday afternoon, and there's a chance that 44-year-old Philip Rivers will be the one under center for them when they do so.

The longtime NFL quarterback—and current Hall of Fame Semifinalist—signed to Indy’s practice squad on Wednesday morning amid a flurry of injuries at the position, and according to Colts reporter Mike Chappell, will once again don the jersey No. 17, the same one he's worn for the entirety of his career.

But how is this possible, you ask? It’s a fair question, considering Daniel Jones—Indy’s starter all season—had worn the digits for their first 11 games of the year.

The answer: Since Jones was placed on injured reserve this week after tearing his Achilles tendon, the number now becomes available again—since nobody on the active roster is wearing it anymore.

“The league approved it as it does not present a competitive issue,” NFL Network's Mike Garafolo notes. ”As [only] one player will be wearing that number.”

And so, after spending the last five years in retirement, Rivers will return to the gridiron wearing the same number he did for his first 17 seasons: No. 17.

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