The old guy may still have it.
Eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers ended his retirement and signed with the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad today in a surprise move for the 44-year-old. Rivers last played an NFL game for the Colts on Jan. 9, 2021 in a wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The Colts started the season 8-2 before their Week 11 bye. They’ve dropped three games in a row since and lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14.
To add injury to injury, third-string quarterback Riley Leonard also suffered a knee injury during Week 14 when he entered the game for Jones.
It’s unclear whether Rivers will get the start in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans. He worked out for the team yesterday and ‘threw the ball well’ on his 44th birthday. If Leonard isn’t able to go, the Colts may rely on Rivers – who is in his first year as a Hall of Fame semifinalist.
With a start, he’d be the latest notable quarterback to un-retire and take the field once again. Here are three examples of that happening in the last 20 years:
NFL QBs to come out of retirement
Teddy Bridgewater
The former first-round pick spent the first four years of his career in Minnesota with the Vikings before bouncing around to New Orleans (2018-19), Carolina (2020), Denver (2021), Miami (2022) and Detroit (2023). After his lone season with the Lions, Bridgewater decided to hang up his cleats in December of that season.
He spent a calendar year away from the NFL and won a state championship with his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School, before reuniting with the Lions late in the 2024 season. Detroit was hit hard by injuries all year and Bridgewater came on as veteran insurance at the most important position.
He’s stuck around, though, and is currently the backup in Tampa Bay for Baker Mayfield.
Tom Brady
The future Pro Football Hall of Famer flirted briefly with retirement in February 2022 after a second season with the Buccaneers. It wasn’t for a drop-off in performance; he’d set a career-high in passing yards with 5,316 and led the NFL in touchdowns with 43 in 2021.
His retirement was ultimately short-lived. Brady needed just 40 days to decide he wanted back in and returned to the Buccaneers for the 2022 NFL season. His return wasn’t as triumphant as the previous two years; Tampa Bay went 8-9, giving him his lone losing season as a starter in the NFL. Brady retired again – this time for good – in February 2023 and transitioned immediately to the broadcast booth.
Brett Favre
NFL fans under the age of 27 may not remember the annual offseason drama that was Favre’s retirement decision. The three-time MVP and Hall of Famer mulled retirement on a yearly basis in the late 2000s. His future was in doubt after the 2006 season but he ultimately returned to the Green Bay Packers for the 2007 season. On March 4, 2008, he retired for the first time.
Four months later, he wanted to return to the team but Green Bay did not grant him an unconditional release. The Packers eventually traded him to the New York Jets for a 2009 draft pick. Favre led he league in interceptions and went 9-7 as a starter.
He had a resurgent season in 2009 with the Minnesota Vikings. He nearly made the Super Bowl, falling in the NFC championship game to the eventual champion Saints on a late interception. Favre returned in 2010 and went 5-8 as a starter before officially filing his retirement papers in January 2011.
