There is no greater story in the NFL this season than the return of 44-year-old Philip Rivers. Rivers, a 17-year veteran who retired after the 2020 NFL season, returned to the league two weeks ago when the Indianapolis Colts lost quarterback Daniel Jones for the season.

Due to his return, Rivers had his Hall of Fame eligibility waiting period reset. Rivers was already a semifinalist for the Hall’s 2026 class.

Advertisement

In his first start, Rivers amazingly led the Colts to a last-second field goal, but too much time remained before the Seattle Seahawks responded with the game-winning field goal. On Monday night, Rivers was phenomenal in a loss to the 49ers, passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns, but the Colts’ defense had no answer for the 49ers’ offense.

After each game, you can see the respect opponents, both coaches and players, have for Rivers. While the Washington Commanders will not face the Colts this season, Indianapolis resident Terry McLaurin recently shared his appreciation for Rivers.

“I thought that was extremely impressive,” McLaurin said in Washington’s locker room on Tuesday. “I grew up watching Peyton Manning, so Philip Rivers broke my heart a few times. But now as an NFL player, I think it’s really cool to see the longevity that he’s had. To take five years off and come back and play at a high level is extremely impressive. And I think it speaks not only to his toughness, but his ability just to play the quarterback position. I believe if he was another 10 to 12 years from now, if he has the ability to the throw the football, he’d still be able to to at a high level. And I think that’s something that he’s reminding the importance of. It’s great to have all the skillsets of an NFL player, especially a quarterback, but to be able to play your position, to be able to master your craft, be able to master what you’re seeing out there on the football field, I think he’s really putting a master class together of what it’s like to play the quarterback position.”

It’s remarkable that Rivers can immediately step back on the field and run an NFL offense, make all the correct reads, even if his physical skills aren’t quite what they were in his prime. As McLaurin said, it goes to show you that so much of the quarterback position is mental. You can bet NFL coaches will show Rivers’ tape for years to come and use him as an example while developing young quarterbacks.

Advertisement

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Terry McLaurin tips his hat to Philip Rivers