Colts Sign 44-Year-Old, Future Hall of Fame Quarterback

On Tuesday, December 9th, 2025, the Indianapolis Colts announced that they are signing former Chargers and Colts quarterback Philip Rivers to their practice squad. Rivers, who just turned 44 and recently became a grandfather, has not played in the NFL since the 2020 NFL Season, famously known as the COVID-19 season. The future Hall of Famer was a semifinalist for the HOF Class of 2026, but if he were to sign to the Colts’ active roster, his eligibility clock would reset and require another five years. If signed to the active roster, Rivers would be the replacement for the injured Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, and the questionable to play Riley Leonard.

The Colts announced that they were bringing in Rivers for a workout Monday night, after the news broke that third-string QB Riley Leonard was battling a knee sprain. Leonard did not play horribly, considering he was thrown into the deep end of the pool, completing 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards and a single interception. The Colts have been struggling offensively since their collapse against the Chiefs, losing now three-straight games, slowly watching their Super Bowl and playoff aspirations die. Rivers will be brought into the organization to at least mentor Leonard in practice and potentially be considered as a reserve for Week 15 onwards.

Rivers was drafted fourth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Giants but was then traded to the San Diego Chargers, as the younger of the two Manning brothers, Eli Manning, opted not to play for the team that drafted him first overall. In 16 years with the Chargers, who were in San Diego for 13 years and Los Angeles for three, the eight-time Pro Bowler threw for 59,271 yards and almost 400 touchdowns. While Rivers did not have the playoff statistics that may boost his Hall of Fame qualifications, he was an exceptional player who, even in his singular season with the Colts, at age 39, threw for over 4,000 yards. It is yet to be seen whether Rivers will be activated for the Week 15 game against the Seahawks or can even be an asset to help the Colts make a Super Bowl run for the first time since Andrew Luck’s early retirement.