With the Indianapolis Colts having a quarterback crisis, retired quarterback Philip Rivers emerged to sign with the team and potentially help them make a playoff run. The 44-year-old last played in 2020, but with Daniel Jones suffering a rough Achilles injury in his outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team needed some help at QB.
Rivers’ recent decision to return and subsequent appearance at a press conference immediately raised questions about his being out of shape for the NFL. In addition, NFL great Steve Young recently sounded off about Rivers’ return during ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.”
“You’ve been preparing for pickleball or Pilates with your wife, like you have not been getting ready for the NFL and what’s going on. My biggest worry is that you blow the Achilles, you blow your knee out, or your shoulder gives out,” Young said, adding, “Less worrisome is that you look like a fool.”
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Young previously excelled at quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers. The three-time Super Bowl winner knew when it was time to hang up his cleats. After multiple concussions, he retired in 1999 after playing in the league for 15 seasons.
“No one wants to get really hurt. You are not prepared,” Young said regarding the 44-year-old Rivers on “PTI.”
“The best athletes in the world get hurt after preparing year-round, and now you’re gonna show up after being on the couch for four years. That’s tough,” Young said.
The former 49ers quarterback claimed that if Rivers can pull this off, everyone needs to bow down to “the great Philip Rivers” for achieving such a feat. As it stands, the Colts’ playoff chances have seriously dipped since nearly a month ago, per Polymarket Sports.
On Wednesday, the Colts officially signed Rivers to the practice squad, but there has been no confirmation that he will start or play for the team on Sunday. The team will evaluate him at practices this week, with Riley Leonard also a potential starter, despite dealing with a knee injury.
During his previous 16 seasons in the NFL, Rivers put himself amongst the game’s top QBs, achieving eight Pro Bowl selections and leading the league in passing yards, passer rating, and passing touchdowns in different seasons.
He initially retired after a career in which he compiled 63,440 passing yards with 421 touchdowns and a 95.2 passer rating.
Interestingly, he won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2013. If he’s able to come back after four or five years away and guide the Colts to an improbable playoff run, Young is undoubtedly correct that Rivers deserves heaps of praise for a fantastic achievement.
The struggling 8-5 Colts will visit the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Dec. 14, in a challenging game. Seattle is currently one of the top teams in the NFC and is listed near the top of the odds to win the Super Bowl in February, while Indianapolis appears in disarray following quarterback chaos.
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