Phillip Rivers reacts, speaks on impact of his return to the NFL

For the first time in 1,800 days, Phillip Rivers took the field in the NFL, with the 44-year-old returning this afternoon to be the starter for the Indianapolis Colts. He hopes this circumstance can now serve as a kind of inspiration of sorts to others to take a chance.

Rivers spoke on the impact of his return to the National Football League following the 18-16 loss for Indianapolis to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. He said that he wants it to be an encouragement to anyone, like one of his three sons or his grandson one day, or his high school players that he has been coaching since his prior retirement, to go for it when the chance arises.

“I think maybe, you know, it will, I don’t know, inspire or teach, you know, (someone) not to run or be scared of what may or may not happen, you know. Hopefully, you know, certainly, I think of my sons and those ball players, you know, that I’m in charge of at the school, that they’ll see, like, crap, Coach wasn’t scared, you know what I mean,” said Rivers. “It’s like, shoot, sometimes you – there is doubt and it’s real. And, again, the guaranteed safe bet is to go home or to not go for it. And the other one is, shoot, let’s see what happens, you know. And so, yeah, I hope, in that sense, that it can be a positive to some young boys, you know, or young people.”

In his return to professional football, Rivers was 18-27 (66.7%) for 120 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, while also taking one sack. As wild as this story was in the last week with the respective injuries for Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson, and Riley Leonard, it nearly worked out in the end, as the Colts were a go-ahead field goal with less than twenty seconds left away from winning on the road against the Seahawks, who have now won four straight as one of the top teams in the NFC now at 11-3.

“You know, grateful. I mean, grateful. Running out for warmups and all that and out there for the anthem, and as the game just got going, I was just thankful, grateful that I was out there. And, it was a blast. It was a blast, but, obviously, the emotions now are disappointment, right,” Rivers said of the emotions of being back. “You know, this isn’t about me. You know, we had a team that was scrapping like crazy to try to stay alive and get in the postseason. So, obviously, we’re all disappointed. Came up just short…We didn’t find a way to get it done is the bottom line.”

“Again, it was a real blessing to be back out there with the guys, but, obviously, this is about the Colts and the Seahawks, and we didn’t find a way to get it done,” said Rivers.

Again, less than a week ago, Rivers was retired, having not played in the NFL since leaving the Colts, finishing, at the time, what was a 17-year career, in 2022 with a loss in the playoffs to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card. He had been a family man since then with his ten children and now even a grandchild, as well as taken to coaching with him having spent his time on the sidelines for St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Alabama. But, when called upon as an option, Rivers took the chance to play once more as a quarterback in the pros.

This was a very specific circumstance for Indianapolis in Week 15, and all it really did after all was reset the retirement clock for Rivers, who had been remembered well regardless as the quarterback for the Chargers and for the Colts. Still, with that first game back now behind him, he’s glad to have taken the opportunity, and hopes it’ll motivate others to do the same in their own ways.

“Thankful, and nothing but gratitude from a standpoint of getting to be here and be a part of it again,” said Rivers. “But, disappointed we didn’t get it done, as I would have been disappointed in any other loss I’ve ever been a part of where I was the quarterback.”