Tom Brady joked that it’s ridiculous for 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers to come out of retirement to play for the Colts.
During a Thursday appearance on the “The Herd,” Brady — who famously ended his 40-day retirement to play for the Buccaneers for “unfinished business” in March 2022 — weighed in on Rivers returning to the helm after five years.
“Who retires and then un-retires and then is ultimately going to retire again? Who does that? That’s ridiculous for Philip to do that,” Brady joked. “But good for him. I’m happy he’s doing it.”
The Fox NFL analyst spoke on Rivers — who is returning to the game after Colts starter Daniel Jones suffered a non-contact Achilles injury in a loss to the Jaguars on Sunday — when host Colin Cowherd asked if Brady believes he could come back and play at the age of 48.
“Yes, I certainly could,” Brady said. “I think the answer for me would be yes. I’m not allowed to anymore because I’m a minority owner of the Raiders, so I can’t unretire.”
Brady, who won six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots across 20 seasons, announced his retirement in Feb. 2020 — only to come out of retirement in the offseason for three more seasons with Tampa Bay.
In his first season in Tampa Bay, he led the Bucs to a Super Bowl win over the Chiefs.
He followed that up in 2021 — at the age of 44 — by leading the Buccaneers to a 13-4 record while being atop the NFL in passing yards (5,316), touchdowns (43) and first downs en route to a Divisional Round loss.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) leaves the field after beating the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15 on Sunday, January16, 2022 in Tampa. ZUMA24.com
Rivers, meanwhile, last played in the 2020-21 season in Indy.
“I’m very excited to watch Philip play,” Brady said. “If he’s out there, it’s just very cool. It speaks to how much he loves the game and really what he’s able to do still.”
Rivers’ age and physical ability has been at the center of conversations since the Colts signed him to the practice squad following Jones’ season-ending injury.
Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, in Orchard Park, N.Y. AP
Brady believes the mental component of the job is a crucial factor.
“This game is about, for the quarterback, from the neck up,” Brady said. “We used to have a saying at Michigan, ‘The mental is to the physical as four is to one at the quarterback position.’ That doesn’t really go away. Do you still have the physical ability to still do it — take the hits, make the throws, the drops, buy a little time in the pocket?
“If Philip has been practicing those things, then we’re all going to see it on full display in Seattle on Sunday afternoon.”
Colts head coach Shane Steichen hasn’t ruled out Rivers potentially starting for the Colts when they face the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday.
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Rivers spent 16 season with the Chargers before he took his talents to the Colts in 2020, helping lead the franchise to an 11-5 record and a playoff bid, the last time the franchise has been to the postseason.