Philip

Rivers

Rivers could still suit up as a backup one last time, but it appears as though his time in the NFL has finally come to a close. Kay Adams spoke with Rivers on Wednesday, pressing him on the matter. The 44-year-old quarterback reiterated that it is, indeed, time to hang up his cleats. In three games with the Colts, Rivers completed 58-of-92 passes for four touchdowns and three interceptions.

With their season over, the Colts will see what they have in Leonard, the 189th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. Leonard completed 18 of 29 attempts for 145 yards and an interception against the Jaguars in Week 14 after Daniel Jones went down — a performance that led head coach Shane Steichen to sign 44-year-old Philip Rivers as a desperation measure. Leonard completed 61 percent of his passes for 365 yards, one touchdown, and one interception over three preseason appearances in the summer. He took one sacks on 22 pressures in those games and ran for 58 yards on seven rushes. Leonard’s rushing could make him interesting for superflex and DFS purposes in Week 18 against the Texans.

Steichen said in his Monday press conference that the team was still “having discussions” on who will start the finale against Houston, and that the team would announce a decision Wednesday. It’s possible that 44-year-old Philip Rivers could get one more chance at a win, but the Colts may want to see what they have in the (much) younger Riley Leonard. Anthony Richardson could also potentially get the nod for the meaningless finale, but with the signal-caller still dealing with vision limitations, it seems unlikely.

Riley Leonard came on in relief of Rivers late in the game to throw a game-ending Hail Mary intercpetion that Rivers certainly would not have been able to come close to the end zone on, and looks likely (per Ian Rapaport) to start against the Texans in Week 18 now that the Colts are eliminated. Rivers got by on guts and drops did hurt the cause, but at the end of the day, the 44-year-old called out of retirement to try to save the season played like a 44-year-old called out of retirement to try to save the season. He couldn’t get enough oomph on his deeper passes, and with the score tied at 17, threw a floating pick (that was tipped) to the Jaguars to guarantee us a few more minutes of Phil Rivers Trailing In the Fourth Quarter Of A One Score Game. A sack in which he stepped up into his own lineman’s back and butt put the Colts in fourth-and-long with three minutes left, they went for it and never saw the ball again. If this is it — again — Rivers proved competent enough that it was earnestly amazing in his three starts. But it ends as we all thought it would against a gauntlet of playoff-caliber opponents.

Philip Rivers will start this week. The Colts were officially eliminated from the playoff hunt with Houston’s win over the Chargers on Saturday. While they would likely rather get Leonard some live reps now that their season is over, it doesn’t make sense to pivot this late in the week. It looks like Week 17 versus the Jags will be Rivers’ sendoff, with Leonard likely drawing the start for the Colts’ 2025 finale.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen has said Rivers would draw his third straight start in Week 17, as the team still has an outside shot to sneak into the postseason if they win their final two games following a Week 16 blowout loss against the 49ers. Rivers displayed better arm strength and a willingness to throw it downfield on Monday night against the Niners, throwing for 277 yards and two touchdowns. If he remains aggressive this week, Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, Tyler Warren, and Alec Pierce could be viable in fantasy leagues.

Rivers and the Colts traded blows with the 49ers throughout the first half, with the aging veteran connecting with Alec Pierce for two scores before the break. The Colts would struggle to keep the momentum rolling into the second half while managing just 10 points after the break, but many will likely be left with the memory of the surgical precision the 44-year-old showed to open the game rather than the couple of under-thrown balls late. The Colts were eliminated from the postseason with the loss, potentially signaling a change back to rookie Riley Leonard under center for the team’s final two games of the regular season. Either way, Rivers’ return to the league after five years will go down as one of the crazier storylines of the 2025 season and should only pad his chances of heading to the Hall of Fame.

Was there ever any doubt? After nearly five years away from the game, Rivers was thrown into the fire in Week 15 against a top-ranked Seahawks defense and nearly came away with the victory. Rivers knows Steichen’s offense after years of playing in his system and is widely viewed by Steichen and the staff as the best man for the job. He’ll have a slightly easier matchup on tap against the Niners in Week 16.

Rivers acquitted himself quite well in his first NFL action since the end of the 2020 season. Starting in place of Daniel Jones — out of the year with an Achilles injury — Rivers was severely limited by the mobility and diminished arm strength of a 44-year-old making a start five days after signing to a team’s practice squad. Rivers averaged 4.4 yards per attempt and rarely threw the ball beyond five or six yards. One third of Rivers’ passes targeted running backs, with another six going to TE Tyler Warren, a safety valve for the aged Rivers. The Colts had 27 passes to 29 rushing attempts on the day. Rivers showed he can operate Shane Steichen’s offense well enough to keep the Colts afloat, though it will be tough for Indy pass catchers beyond Warren to maintain their fantasy value. The Colts get the 49ers in Week 16.

Rivers will be under center for the first time since 2020 as the Colts desperately try to stay in the postseason race with Daniel Jones (Achilles) done for the season. He’ll go up against an elite Seattle front seven that will pressure him all day. The Colts declared LB Jaylon Carlies, CB Sauce Gardner, RB DJ Giddens, WR Anthony Gould, S Reuben Lowery, TE Will Mallory, and QB Brett Rypien inactive against the Seahawks.