When Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones tore his right Achilles on Sunday, marking the latest terrible chapter in the Indianapolis Colts’ 11-year road losing streak against the Jacksonville Jaguars, we all knew the Colts would sign another passer.

Rookie sixth-round pick Riley Leonard was the next man up, but from a roster construction standpoint, there was no way the Colts were going to finish the season with just two healthy QBs, the other being NFL journeyman Brett Rypien. Colts general manager Chris Ballard needed to make some phone calls, though I didn’t initially imagine one would be to the last quarterback who led the Colts to the playoffs: 44-year-old Philip Rivers.

In retrospect, however, it now makes (some) sense. After all, this is the same franchise that hired former Colts center Jeff Saturday as its interim coach in 2022, even though Saturday had no prior college or pro coaching experience. In this case, at least Rivers, the Chargers’ all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, is more qualified.

Unlike Saturday, it was an opportunity Rivers had been preparing for, even after signing a one-day contract in July to retire as a Charger. Asked later that month on “The Dan Patrick Show” if he could still play, Rivers, who has continued his football training, didn’t hesitate.

“Oh, yeah,” Rivers responded. “I’m a little heavier than I was, but I can get through a game. Now, I may need a wheelchair the next morning. But oh, yeah, I can still play a little bit.”

Ballard and Colts coach Shane Steichen, who worked with Rivers for eight years with the Chargers and remains close to him, appear to be taking him up on that challenge, with the team working him out Monday and agreeing to add him to the practice squad Tuesday — just 48 hours after Jones’ season ended.

Ideally, the Colts would like Leonard to make his first NFL start Sunday on the road against the Seattle Seahawks — a team, by the way, that has only allowed nine total points while forcing eight turnovers the past two weeks — but Steichen announced Monday that Leonard is nursing a right knee injury that could jeopardize his availability. The rookie’s cloudy status opened the door for the Colts to seriously consider bringing back Rivers, who’s unafraid to reenter the ring and go toe-to-toe with Father Time. If he starts Sunday, he would become the oldest QB to play for the Colts and just the sixth quarterback in league history to appear in a game at age 44 or older.

“I was definitely a little surprised,” Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who caught his first TD pass from Rivers, said Tuesday on “Up & Adams.” “But if there is one guy to call, who can do something like this, it’s definitely him.”

Rivers said on “The Dan Patrick Show” that he’s been close to coming out of retirement a few times, most notably in 2022 when the 49ers’ QB room was decimated by injuries during their run to the NFC Championship. He added that he even drew a little inspiration from Joe Flacco, who, at 38, joined the Browns late in the 2023 season and led them to the playoffs by going 4-1 as the starter over the last five games.

“Shoot, I thought it was awesome,” Rivers said. “I loved watching Joe and pulling for Joe when he was in that situation.”

Now, Rivers could possibly follow a similar path as the 8-5 Colts try to stay alive in the AFC playoff picture.

If, for some reason, you don’t think the Colts are seriously contemplating playing Rivers, here’s one tidbit to chew on: Before adding Rivers, Indianapolis was scheduled to have a walkthrough Wednesday, followed by practices Thursday and Friday. Steichen has often chosen to scale back this time of year to keep his players fresh. However, after Rivers agreed to join the Colts, the team’s schedule was updated to include a Wednesday practice so that Indy would have a full three-practice week. I can think of a good reason that the change was made, and it likely has to do with the quarterback who hasn’t taken an NFL snap in five years needing a few reps.

Some may consider Rivers’ return as nothing more than the latest bold, and perhaps even ridiculous, decision for a floundering franchise. One option the Colts bypassed was signing Sam Ehlinger off the Denver Broncos’ practice squad. Indianapolis drafted Ehlinger in the sixth round in 2021. He started three games for the franchise in 2022, going 0-3 with three TDs against three picks, before joining the Broncos in free agency earlier this year.

But seeing as Ehlinger, who is familiar with Steichen’s offense, would need to immediately join the Colts’ active roster, whereas Rivers offers more flexibility as a practice squad member, Indy stood pat because Leonard’s knee injury is expected to be more short term than long term, league sources told The Athletic. Not to mention, Rivers also knows Steichen’s offense inside and out, and he’s served as one of Leonard’s closest mentors in recent years.

#Colts QB Riley Leonard on his mentor (and future teammate?) Philip Rivers:

“The biggest thing that I learned is how intentional he is about every little thing. Like if we’re doing the warmup and we’re taking five-step drops, those five-step drops have to be pristine …” pic.twitter.com/9i8IdID8te

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) December 9, 2025

So, with that in mind, I don’t necessarily view the Rivers deal through the same out-of-the-box lens as the Saturday hiring, which many others have compared this decision to. For starters, Saturday’s hiring was more of a one-man declaration, with former team owner Jim Irsay choosing Saturday to take over for Frank Reich, who was fired in 2022 after a 3-5-1 start, mostly because Irsay just liked Saturday. I still remember the text messages I received that day from my colleagues around the league, many of them filled with laughing emojis.

Everyone knew it was only a matter of time until Irsay’s experiment crashed and burned. The Colts won their first game with Saturday, which Irsay certainly gloated about, and then proceeded to lose their last seven, which is the longest losing streak to end a season in team history.

Could a freefall like that happen again if Rivers takes the reins? Absolutely. The man has not played in an NFL game in nearly half a decade, and he likely can’t make up for that missed time on task with a few practices. But the Colts, currently on a three-game skid with four games left in the season, are clearly doing everything possible to avoid repeating history by creating a bit of history themselves. To my knowledge, no NFL team has ever asked a grandfather — albeit a young one — to come quarterback and save their season. However, that’s exactly what Indianapolis is doing in the absence of Jones and Anthony Richardson Sr., who remains on IR due to an orbital fracture, and potentially Leonard.

The Colts’ healthy QB options Sunday could come down to 44-year-old Rivers, who (for now) is a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class, or 29-year-old Rypien, who has thrown four TDs against nine interceptions in 11 games. Both are bad options as Indianapolis tries to end its four-year playoff drought, but then again, there were no good options at this point in the season. This is the hand the Colts were dealt, and if anything, it would at least be entertaining to see if Rivers can turn back the clock and win with it.

“Realistically, who knows what Phil is capable of? I’m gonna say a Super Bowl,” Pittman said on “Up & Adams,” laughing at his tongue-in-cheek remark. “That’s my realistic expectation because we’re still in this thing. We are very much alive.”