More than four years after his last snap, Philip Rivers was promoted from the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad to the team’s active roster for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
After Daniel Jones was ruled out for the season with a torn Achilles, the Colts have since announced that Rivers has been signed to the active roster from the practice squad.
Rivers flew in to practice with the team on Monday – his 44th birthday – signed to the practice squad on Tuesday and will be officially picked up on Saturday.
With his signing to the active roster, Rivers, recently named a Modern Era Hall of Fame semifinalist, will lose his right to be a voice during this cycle. His waiting period will now reset to five years from the end of his final season.
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Sky Sports’ Neil Reynolds breaks down the return of 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who joined the Indianapolis Colts practice squad five years after retiring from quarterback Daniel Jones’ season-ending Achilles injury.
Rivers previously made his last NFL snap on January 9, 2021, going 309 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts’ 27-24 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. His TD throws were to Jack Doyle and Zach Pascal – neither currently on the NFL list.
Rivers’ shocking return is a feel-good story and underscores the desperation of the Colts, who have slipped from a surprising 7-1 start to a playoff team after three straight losses without a healthy quarterback on the roster.
Starter Jones tore his Achilles on Sunday and is out for the season; his replacement, rookie Riley Leonard, has a knee injury and backup Anthony Richardson remains on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones is out with an Achilles injury in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars
A damning indictment of young NFL quarterbacks?
Ski Sports NFL Phoebe Schecter said Inside the Huddle podcast: “Seeing Rivers come back is so exciting for some people. It would be awesome if he was elevated to their active roster and was able to lead the Colts to a win.”
“You can see why he’s back; that’s why teams keep bringing back Joe Flacco, because you want somebody who’s reliable and somebody who’s going to bring some life to the offense.”
“The Colts can’t rely on defense like they used to, so you can see why he’s back.”
“It says a lot that we can’t find anyone else in the league who is playing right now. What does the NFL do, what does it say about development that the Colts would rather bring back history and bring back a quarterback who no longer fits the modern mold?”
“We don’t have the likes of Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady, guys who stand up in the pocket, so Rivers is a blast from the past. But we’re probably not in a good place with our young quarterbacks and their development.”
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