Report: Indianapolis Colts bringing in Philip Rivers for potential reunion after Daniel Jones injury

The Indianapolis Colts are bringing in QB Philip Rivers for a visit on Tuesday following the news that Daniel Jones will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles, according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo. Rivers retired in 2020 and is a 17-year NFL veteran.

Rivers has thrown for 63,440 yards and 421 touchdowns during his career. He played his final season with the Colts after spending 16 with the Chargers.

He turned 44 years old on Monday, yet Rivers, who became a grandfather in 2024, could become the oldest player in the league by three years. Aaron Rodgers, 41, is currently the oldest QB and player active in the NFL.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided additional context to the move. It appears as though the visit may be exploratory rather than to sign a contract right then and there.

“While the Colts need to work out Philip Rivers to see what type of shape he is in, the former quarterback who is now a grandfather also needs to figure out whether he’s willing to play, per source,” Schefter tweeted. “For now he’s clearly intrigued enough to fly to Indianapolis.”

Per Ian Rapoport, Rivers may be looking to join the Colts’ practice squad. He could potentially be the emergency quarterback for the team if he’s able to play.

Of course, he will have to pass a physical before he cane be signed. Late last month, it was announced that Frank Ragnow was coming out of retirement with the expectation of re-joining the Detroit Lions. He ultimately failed his physical and was not brought back onto the team. Though, Ragnow is 29 and is less than one year removed from his initial retirement.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Rivers had considered a return to the NFL. Per Garafolo, Rivers was the “contingency plan” for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 if they had advanced to the Super Bowl that season and ran out of quarterbacks.

With Jones out, QB Riley Leonard banged up, and Anthony Richardson on injured reserve, the Colts need to make a move at QB. Leonard is the expected starter if healthy, but Indianapolis will need to fill in its depth chart before taking the field on Sunday on the road against the Seattle Seahawks.

Kickoff between the Colts and Seahawks is set for Dec. 14 at 4:25 p.m. ET. CBS will air the live broadcast.