Riley

Leonard

He also notes that Chris Ballard “openly theorized about [Riley] Leonard being the team’s backup in 2026" while saying that he believes both Richardson and the team could benefit from a divorce. We doubt that Richardson would bring back much draft capital at this point, but every bit of it might matter for a team that dealt two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner. Richardson could be a low-cost or rehab option for teams this offseason in what looks to be a pretty barren quarterback market.

Leonard showed something with his legs for sure, and was able to exploit Houston’s backup cornerbacks deep with Alec Pierce before Pierce was ejected in the third quarter. The legacy of “The Colts believed so little in me that they brought in a 44-year-old grandfather” unfortunately will linger. Leonard played passably in relief of Daniel Jones against the Jaguars in his first career game, where he rushed for a score and had two passing touchdowns taken off the board by penalty. Leonard is probably just a long-term backup, but what we saw in two games against two tough defenses was broadly encouraging that he won’t wash out of the league.

Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, threw for 145 yards and an interception in relief of Daniel Jones in Week 14 against the Jaguars. The Colts were so impressed with Leonard’s performance that they immediately signed 44-year-old Philip Rivers. While Rivers wasn’t able to keep the Colts in playoff contention, he proved that he gave the Colts a better chance to win than the Notre Dame rookie. Leonard was known for his rushing ability in college, which is the only aspect of his game that’s interesting for fantasy purposes. In what’s essentially a preseason game with the Colts already eliminated, Leonard draws a difficult matchup against the Texans vaunted pass rush.

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.

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.

Rapoport’s segment broke no news, but he has ostensibly been working the phones since last night’s pre-game report. Rivers is taking “some” first-team reps and, per Rapoport, is throwing the football “well.” Rookie QB Riley Leonard would seemingly have a better chance of rushing his way to QB2 viability, but the Colts apparently prefer Rivers’ theoretical pocket-passing ability.

Leonard practiced all week after picking up a PCL sprain in his knee in Week 14. Leonard’s QB2 viability is tied directly to his rushing production, and Philip Rivers could be the team’s starter this weekend. Leonard is very difficult to trust as a QB2, even if he does get the start, facing the Seahawks’ elite defense.

Riley Leonard (knee) has practiced in full all week, so it sure seems like he’d be available to go if the Colts wanted him to. Of course, if they really wanted him to go, they probably would not have signed a 44-year-old grandfather in the first place. So there’s that. We’ll likely get a report that Rivers will start at some point in the next 36 hours. He’s not to be trusted in superflex leagues in his first start in five years.

Per Holder, “it isn’t difficult to tell who a team is prepping to start. That player is Rivers.” Whether this helps the pass-catching corps remains to be seen. Rivers has not played football since 2020. One hard hit from a Seahawks pass rusher could send the 44-year-old back to the sofa. Backup QB Riley Leonard suffered a PCL sprain in his knee last week, though he is currently practicing in full. Stay tuned.