Report: Philip Rivers withdraws from Buffalo Bills coaching search

Philip Rivers reportedly pulled himself out of the Buffalo Bills head coaching sweepstakes, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. After coming out of retirement to play for the Indianapolis Colts this year down the stretch, Rivers received interest from Buffalo on the coaching front.

During his retirement from football, Rivers coached St. Michael Catholic (Ala.), so he would’ve made the high school to pros jump. He also said he was unsure about a future in broadcasting, as a handful of popular former players tend to do.

Rivers’ second stint with the Colts ended after Indianapolis announced rookie QB Riley Leonard would start Week 18. But who knows if this is the last we see of Rivers around the league.

“I don’t know,” Rivers said on Up and Adams. “I’ve not ruled it out. But every opportunity that’s been close to coming or has come up just hasn’t felt right. I haven’t completely ruled it out. I do think that I would enjoy that. I just don’t know. The one thing I’ve loved since I was however old playing this game and being now as a coach is I’ve been able to have some impact on the score. And, for me, it’s like you might be good at it, talking about it, but I have nothing to do with the outcome of this game.”

The one thing Rivers is hesitant about is the travel schedule of a broadcaster, should he be on a play-by-play and color team. “I was just like I just got out of that, and now I’m about to double the travel,” Rivers said.

Rivers returned after five years of being in retirement for the stretch run to try and salvage the Colts’ playoff hopes. After starter Daniel Jones was affected by injuries in his play, he was eventually hurt enough to be ruled out for the season.

After a 7-1 start, Indy lost seven of their last eight games, including all three starts under Rivers. To be fair to Rivers, who reset his Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility clock by returning, he had 544 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in his return over three games. Not bad for being out of the game for half of a decade.

Over the course of his career, Rivers has 6,3984 yards, 425 touchdowns, 212 interceptions and a 64.9% completion percentage. He ranks No. 8 all-time in yards and No. 6 in touchdown passes.

With Rivers now out of the coaching search in Buffalo, they’ll pivot elsewhere. The Bills are looking for a head coach for the first time in nearly 10 years after firing Sean McDermott.