Pro Football Hall of Fame explains impact of Philip Rivers eligibility amid upcoming workout with Colts

Philip Rivers, 44 years young, will work out for the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Colts are bringing the retired quarterback in for a visit following the news that Daniel Jones will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles.

Anthony Richardson (orbital bone fracture) remains on injured reserve. Riley Leonard is week-to-week with a strained knee ligament. Indianapolis is simply out of options at quarterback. Enter, potentially, Rivers, who last played in the NFL in 2020 with the Colts.

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 signs 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 is only signed to the practice squad, his eligibility would not reset.

Rivers is one of 26 semifinalists for the Class of 2026. 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.

Colts down multiple quarterbacks, reach out to Philip Rivers

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.”

Rivers would have to pass a physical before he can officially sign. Indianapolis provides familiarity to him, as he worked with head coach Shane Steichen for six seasons with the Chargers.

The Colts (8-5) are currently sitting just outside the AFC playoff field. They have dropped three consecutive games after getting off to an 8-2 start.