Never thought we'd see someone at age 44 come back to the NFL to play, but Philip Rivers, who is now a Grandpa, made it possible. He will officially get the start in Seattle against the Seahawks on Sunday. Rivers is playing football for the first time in 5 years.
The 44-year-old has become the ultimate emergency option for the Colts following a season-ending Achilles injury to Daniel Jones. Notre Dame rookie Riley Leonard played in Jones’ absence during last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but came out of that game with a knee strain. The Colts are on three-game losing streak going from 8-2 to 8-5 on the season, and they really needed someone to help out this weekend.
It's going to be interesting to see how this all plays out, Rivers is coming in against a Top 5 defense in the NFL... The Seahawks are going to make this really tough on a guy who hasn't played in the NFL since 2020... He is also coming off 3-4 days of practice.
Rivers, by the way, will not be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame again until 2031 once he takes a snap. This is also a big story considering he way a year away from being on the Hall of Fame ballot.
Philip Rivers will play tomorrow.
— Seattle ON Tap (@SeattleONTap) December 13, 2025
Seahawks defense is coming for ya Grandpa 😂 pic.twitter.com/tO6EmpOwTi
Colts Coach Shane Steichen on Friday said this about Rivers:
"I'll say it was pretty good," Steichen said of Rivers' practices this week. "A guy that hasn't been out there in five years, to go and practice the way he did this week was pretty impressive to watch."