Philip Rivers signing with Indianapolis Colts practice squad after Daniel Jones injury, per report

Following Daniel Jones‘ season-ending Achilles injury, the Indianapolis Colts are officially signing 44-year-old Philip Rivers to their practice squad.

He’s had an accomplished 17-year career, the first 16 of which came with the Los Angeles Chargers. Rivers is 134-106 as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He’s thrown for 63,440 yards, 421 touchdowns and 209 interceptions. An eight-time Pro Bowler, Rivers is seventh on the all-time passing yards list and sixth on the all-time passing touchdowns list.

He would become the oldest player in the league by three years if elevated from the practice squad. He last took a snap in 2020 during his one season with the Colts.

ESPN Sources: 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who has not played in the NFL since the 2020 COVID season, is signing to the QB-needy Indianapolis Colts practice squad. pic.twitter.com/oOIVQEY38x

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 9, 2025

The Alabama native had been coaching St. Michael Catholic (Ala.) since 2021. This past season, his Cardinals fell to eventual champions Jackson 44-23 in the Class 4A state semifinals. The Cardinals finished the season with a 13-1 record just weeks before their head coach decided to embark on a return to the NFL.

Rivers is currently a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. How does this affect his eligibility? A Pro Football Hall of Fame spokesperson told Clayton Holloway of NFL Network that if Rivers is elevated to the Colts’ active roster and takes a snap, his Hall of Fame eligibility would reset, and he would need to be out for another five seasons for Hall of Fame eligibility. If he remains on the practice squad, his eligibility would not reset. Rivers is one of 26 semifinalists for the Class of 2026.

The Indianapolis Colts currently sit at 8-5, good for second in the AFC South behind the 9-4 Jacksonville Jaguars. They opened the season with an 8-2 record, but have since dropped three consecutive games. This pushed them out of the AFC Postseason picture, and with injuries to quarterbacks Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, and Riley Leonard, some help was needed.

It is currently unclear whether or not Rivers will be activated from the practice squad. Fourth-string quarterback Brett Rypien remains the only healthy quarterback on the active roster heading into Indianapolis’ game against Seattle this weekend.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this article.