The Indianapolis Colts will start 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, a league source told The Athletic. Rookie sixth-round pick Riley Leonard will be his backup.
On Wednesday, Rivers ended his nearly half-decade retirement and officially signed with the Colts’ practice squad. Now slated to start on Sunday, the eight-time Pro Bowler will try to push Indianapolis (8-5) one win closer to the playoffs — just like when he steered the Colts to the postseason during his last season in 2020.
“(It’s) a coach that I love and an organization that I really enjoyed being with,” Rivers said Wednesday, explaining his decision to return to Indianapolis and play for Colts coach Shane Steichen, whom he previously worked alongside with the Chargers. “(Former Colts owner Jim) Irsay believing in me in that year in 2020 when it didn’t go so good in 2019 (meant a lot). And shoot, the teammates that I was able to play with, shoot, 14 of them are still here. Training room’s the same. PR guys are the same. Equipment room’s the same. And they wanted me, and I try to keep it as simple as that.”
Rivers and Leonard took first-team reps throughout the week, Steichen said Friday, but Steichen noted earlier in the week that the team changed its practice schedule to accommodate Rivers’ return. Initially, the Colts were only supposed to have a walkthrough on Wednesday, which had been the case the previous two weeks, before practicing Thursday and Friday.
After the Colts struck a deal with Rivers on Tuesday, they updated their schedule to include a Wednesday practice, Steichen said, partly because they wanted to help Rivers get up to speed with a full three-practice week. Rivers was the first quarterback to take snaps in most of the drills during the portions of practice that were open to the media. Leonard was next in line, with third-stringer Brett Rypien behind him.
Steichen said his team would continue weighing its QB decision Friday, but he praised Rivers after completing his first week of NFL practice in almost five years. Asked to evaluate Rivers’ performance, Steichen noted he looked “pretty good” as he nears likely his 241st start at quarterback, which — as crazy as it sounds — would resume the longest active streak in the NFL and the second-longest streak in league history.
“He’s got great command in the huddle. He was throwing it well,” Steichen said. “So yeah, we’re excited for it. He’s fired up for the challenge. Obviously, (he’s) getting back into it, getting back into the fold, feeling the pass rush. Got some good work in (with simulated pressure), just moving around, seeing the defense.”
Rivers’ return was sparked by the loss of starting QB Daniel Jones, who tore his right Achilles tendon in a road loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Leonard replaced Jones, but the Colts’ quarterback situation got even hairier when Steichen said Leonard self-reported a right knee injury after the game. With Anthony Richardson Sr. already on injured reserve due to an orbital fracture, that left only one healthy QB on Indy’s roster: NFL journeyman Rypien, who is 2-2 as a starter and last started for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023.
The Colts had to get creative (or crazy, depending on your perspective) to bolster their QB room. Steichen called Rivers.
The two built a close bond during their eight years together with the Chargers, including when Steichen served as the team’s quarterbacks coach from 2016 to 2019 and its interim offensive coordinator in 2019 during Rivers’ last season with the franchise.
They have talked almost weekly since going their separate ways, but the conversation they had the night of the Jacksonville loss had much higher stakes. Steichen asked Rivers if he wanted to play again, and exactly one week later, Rivers is set to start for the first time since the Colts’ last playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 9, 2021. Rivers was 27-of-46 passing for 309 yards and two touchdowns in Indy’s 27-24 Wild Card round loss in Buffalo.
On Sunday, the 44-year-old will make his fourth start in Seattle and first since November 2018, when he was 36. Rivers is 2-1 on the road against the Seahawks.
“Me at 30 years old, me at 44 years old, going to Seattle and winning in 2025 in (Week 15), it’s going to be tough,” Rivers said Wednesday. ” … (But I) can’t back down from those challenges.”
Said Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald: “If anybody can pull it off, it’s him. The guy is probably one of the best competitors in the history of the NFL. I’m sure he wouldn’t do it if he didn’t feel he was ready. We’re getting ready for him like he’s been playing the whole time.”
Rivers has befriended and mentored Leonard in recent years, and while the rookie welcomed Rivers back into the fold, he said Rivers’ NFL return was “as crazy to me as it is to anybody.” Leonard was a full participant in all three practices this week, which presumably minimized the right knee injury he suffered last week as a factor in which QB will start in Seattle. The rookie showed promise last week, finishing 18-of-29 passing for 145 yards and one interception, plus a 6-yard TD run against the Jaguars. However, Steichen noted that the Colts’ offense is the same one Rivers mastered for several years with the Chargers, and that experience is a clear advantage over Leonard. Aside from Rivers’ mental edge, Steichen remains bullish on what the now 18-year pro is physically capable of.
Rivers will face a tall task against a Seattle team that has only allowed nine points combined in the last two weeks while forcing eight turnovers. What’s more, no NFC team has hit the quarterback more than the Seahawks, whose 108 QB hits were tied for the second most in the NFL entering Week 15. Their 39.9 percent pressure rate (fourth in the NFL) is scary enough, but knowing it comes with a minuscule blitz rate of 21.5 percent (26th) is downright terrifying. That means the Seahawks are abusing quarterbacks without having to send an extra man, and they’re unlikely to change that scheme, especially with the league’s leading rusher, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, coming to town. The Seahawks have not allowed a 100-yard rusher all year and will probably stack the box against Taylor and dare Rivers to beat them through the air.
Rivers admitted that he’s heavier than he was when he last played and joked that he’s “never ran away from anybody anyway.” Obviously, if he takes the reins, he’ll need to be well-protected for the Colts to pull off a massive upset. However, Indy’s offensive line will not be at full strength in Seattle. On Friday, Steichen ruled out starting right tackle Braden Smith due to a concussion he sustained last week. Rookie fourth-round pick Jalen Travis will likely replace Smith in the lineup, and he’s eager to block for Rivers if he’s under center.
“It’s just a humbling experience to know that a guy like that still has a burning passion for the game of football and is willing to come back and help us in whatever way we need,” Travis said. “It’s cool as a young player to just be around greatness. This guy was just on the ballot for the Hall of Fame this year.”
Rivers was a 2026 semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but after joining the Colts’ active roster, his five-year retirement clock officially reset. The Chargers’ all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns will now have to wait until 2031 to have his Hall of Fame candidacy reconsidered.
“With all respect to the Hall, and if one day I can be a part of that group, it will be special. No question about it,” Rivers said Wednesday. “But the extension of that time, if that comes to be, was not a factor in my thinking.”
Steichen also announced Friday that star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who returned to practice this week, will remain on injured reserve. Buckner suffered a neck injury in Week 9 and said he “kind of lost all strength on my left side,” as he pointed to his arm and upper body during his description. Further testing revealed Buckner had a herniated disk that was “pressing on a nerve,” he said, and causing the lack of strength. The two-time All-Pro was grateful to avoid surgery, but recently flew to Panama and received stem cell injections in his neck to help correct the issue. Buckner is hopeful he’ll return this season, though he declined to provide a recovery timeline.
Additionally, star cornerback Sauce Gardner will miss his second straight game due to a left calf injury he suffered in Week 13.