From Indiana Jones to Old Man Rivers, the Colts have named a new starting quarterback.
Philip Rivers, a 44-year-old grandfather who was recently named a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame, officially will go from his couch to behind center when he starts for the Colts in Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, according to multiple reports.
The eight-time Pro Bowler will make his first NFL start since Jan. 2021 after he was signed to the Colts’ practice squad earlier this week following a season-ending Achilles injury suffered by former Giants QB Daniel Jones last week against the Jaguars.
Rivers, drafted in the same quarterback class as Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, played 16 seasons for the Chargers and one for Indianapolis before retiring with 63,440 career passing yards — the seventh-most in NFL history.
Rivers started all 16 games and led the Colts to an 11-5 mark in 2020 before suffering a wild-card loss to the Bills.
“I’m not here to stinking save the year or be a hero by any means,” Rivers said earlier this week. “We got to stinking run the crap out of the football and play defense and do all those things. So 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 going to know where I’m limited. And as we go, it will get better, if that’s the route we end up going.
“I ain’t never ran away from anybody anyway. People say, ‘Well, they’re going to know you’re going to be right there.’ And it’s like, ‘Well, they knew that for 16, 17 years.’”
Rivers’ career resumption means he will be removed from eligibility to be considered for induction next year for the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He now must wait an additional five years following his final NFL appearance before he’s eligible again.
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Under Jones, the Colts began this season with a 7-1 record, but they’ve dropped four of their past five games to fall out of a playoff spot in the AFC. The Texans (also 8-5) currently are in the third wild-card spot in the conference.
After facing the Seahawks on Sunday in Seattle, Rivers and the Colts will finish the season with home games against the 49ers and the Jaguars before visiting Houston in the regular-season finale.
In addition to Jones, backup quarterback Anthony Richardson is also on injured reserve with a fractured eye socket.
