INDIANAPOLIS — Philip Rivers is available if the Colts want to try to turn back time on Sunday in Seattle.
The Colts will elevate Rivers from the practice squad/signed Rivers to the 53-man roster Saturday, moving the 44-year-old quarterback a step closer to starting against the Seahawks, according to ESPN. It means he will not be eligible for the hall of fame for another 5 years.
The NFL Network is reporting Rivers will start.
Rivers has been trending in the direction of the starting lineup since the Colts called him Sunday night, gauging his interest in trying to pull off the improbable for a team that saw its playoff hopes crippled last week when starting quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a torn right Achilles tendon.
Facing a reality without Jones and without backup Anthony Richardson, who remains on injured reserve after undergoing surgery to repair a broken orbital bone suffered in October, Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard landed on Rivers as a potential Hail Mary for the final four games.
When the Colts initially signed Rivers, the availability of sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard was still in doubt following a reported PCL sprain in his right knee, but Leonard was able to participate in full at practice all week, taking first-team reps at times and complicating the Indianapolis decision.
Rivers has talked like a man preparing to play.
“There’s something about being back in this building that feels right,” Rivers said Wednesday. “Shoot, like I said, really just taking it one meeting at a time, one lift at a time, and really embracing it and going after it.”
What Rivers might be trying to attempt on Sunday is a rarity.
Rivers turned 44 on Monday, hasn’t played in the NFL since quarterbacking the Colts’ 27-24 wild-card loss to Buffalo on Jan. 9, 2021 and would pull himself off the list of semifinalists for the Hall of Fame by playing Sunday.
But the idea of returning to the NFL to play for a franchise he already knows well, a roster that still has 14 players from his season in 2020 and a coach that has long been one of his best friends fired up Rivers, a man who deeply loves the sport.
The former NFL star has spent the last five years coaching high school football at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Alabama, and although this is the first time he’s actually pulled the trigger on joining a team, it is not the first time he’s thought about coming back to help a team in need of a miracle.
“Each moment that goes by, I feel more and more confident,” Rivers said. “There’s human nature to have a little doubt and I think for me, working through that was, well, that’s normal. … Who wouldn’t have doubt after five years?. … The only way you can find out is to go.”
From the sounds of Steichen’s Friday news conference, the Colts felt the same way this week.
Rivers immediately felt at home in the meeting room, talking through Seattle’s defense and Steichen’s offensive system with ease, chopping up possibilities with teammates in the locker room. Indianapolis was impressed by the way he threw the ball, even though Rivers has the same unconventional motion he always had.
The biggest question was how his body would respond to going from the St. Michael coach’s office to an NFL huddle. Indianapolis altered its practice schedule this week to see if Rivers could be ready, changing a Wednesday walk-through into a full-fledged practice and giving Rivers the first reps in every quarterback drill open to the media.
“I will say it was pretty good,” Steichen said. “I mean, 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.”
Playing Sunday against one of the NFL’s best teams is going to be a different test entirely.
Rivers knows it, Steichen knows it and the Colts do have the possibility of playing Leonard, who completed 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards and an interception in relief of Jones against Jacksonville last week.
Whoever the Colts pick is not going to be asked to play the same role Jones was playing in the offense.
“Shoot, I’m not here to stinking save the year or be a hero, by any means,” Rivers said. “We’ve got to stinking run the crap out of the football and play defense and do all those things. So, if that comes to be and I’m the one that’s out there, I’m not here to try to save the day. I’m going to know where I’m limited.”
The same is true of Leonard.
Indianapolis likely won’t reveal its true intentions until the Colts are on the field Sunday.
When is Philip Rivers’ first game?
Rivers’ first game for the Colts would be against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Is Philip Rivers a grandfather?
Yes. Rivers’ oldest child, Halle, 23, has a one-year-old son.
How many children does Philip Rivers have?
10; ranging in ages from 1 to 23. Halle, Caroline, Grace, Gunner, Sarah, Peter, Rebecca, Clare, Anna and Andrew.
How old is Philip Rivers?
He turned 44 on Monday.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts make move to allow for Philip Rivers to play at Seahawks, but will he?
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
