These aren’t your grandfather’s Indianapolis Colts.
Or maybe it is.
The Colts plan to sign the recently grandfathered Chargers legend and bring back the 44-year-old quarterback after five years of retirement.
Multiple reports Tuesday said the team intends to add him to the practice squad following a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Daniel Jones.
An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Rivers is a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist, and if the Colts are able to add him to the active roster, his five-year eligibility clock will be reset.
“Phillip is the ultimate competitor and the ultimate teammate,” said Rich Ornberger, a former NFL offensive lineman who blocked for him in San Diego. “Whatever is good for the team, he’s going to do it and that’s what made him a special player.
“If they need him, he’ll be 100 percent ready. If there’s one thing I know about Philip, he wouldn’t have even answered the phone if he didn’t think he could help.”
Rivers played 16 seasons with the Chargers, his final season with the Colts, and announced he would end his career after the 2020 season. He returned to his home state and enrolled at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama.
Rivers and his wife, Tiffany, have 10 children: seven daughters and three sons. Their son, Gunner, is a junior at St. Michael’s College and a four-star prospect at quarterback.
The Colts started 8-2 and were one of the hottest teams in the NFL, but have struggled recently with three straight losses, and Jones tore his Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s game against Jacksonville.
The team is currently relying on rookie Riley Leonard, who is recovering from a knee injury, and is without former starter Anthony Richardson, who remains on injured reserve with a fractured orbit.
Rivers’ return will reunite him with Colts coach Shane Steichen, who was his former quarterbacks coach and then the Chargers’ offensive coordinator.
“This is a real win-win,” Ohrenberger said. “They’ll be speaking the same language right away. He’ll be able to get Philip to understand the nuances that may have changed over the years.”
Ohlenberger said Rivers will be a boost for the Colts whether he’s on the field or not.
“He brings incredible value,” the retired lineman said. “He impacts the team not only because he can be one of the best players on the field and tilt the gravity of the field, but because of his leadership. His ability to hold onto things incredibly quickly and remain calm in the midst of chaos. … When the cameras are on him right now, he may look confused, but his ability to handle big moments and make them smaller is elite.
“His ability to explain things succinctly and quickly organize things in key moments that need to be short but impactful is all the better. Having him in the building will increase the football IQ of that team tremendously.”
