The Indianapolis Colts signed Philip Rivers to their practice squad on Wednesday, in one of the more amazing decisions of this NFL season. Rivers, 44, had been retired for five years, but Indy decided to have him back after Daniel Jones picked up a season-ending Achilles injury.
On Wednesday, after signing with the Colts, Rivers was questioned about his body weight in his introductory press conference, since it's been nearly half a decade since his first retirement from the league.
"I'm not sure. How bout that?" Rivers said. "That’s an honest answer. … Not what it was when I walked off the field in Buffalo. But I ain't ran away from anybody anyway."
Rivers was referring to his last NFL clash against the Buffalo Bills in January 2021, when his Colts lost 27-24 in the wild-card round. That was also the last playoff game the Colts played.
The then-San Diego Chargers took Rivers with the No.4 pick in the 2004 NFL draft. The QB spent 16 seasons with the Chargers before playing one season with the Colts.
Philip Rivers did not expect NFL return amid Colts reunion
On Wednesday, Philip Rivers said that he didn't expect to return to the NFL.
“I wasn’t hanging onto any hope of playing again. I kind of thought that ship had sailed,” Rivers said. “But something about it excited me. It’s one of those deals where a door opens and you either walk through it and find out if you can do it, or run from it. I know there’s risk involved, but the only way to find out is going for it.”
Rivers also said that he wondered if Colts coach Shane Steichen would want to collaborate with him after Daniel Jones' injury.
The Colts (8-5) are placed third in the AFC South. They have lost three games back-to-back, but are still in contention to win the divisional title.
Indy will lock horns with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 on Sunday.