Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Desperate Times Calls for Desperate Measures in Indianapolis – Colts Reportedly Bringing In Philip Rivers for Workout!

Colts shock the NFL with workout offer for Philip Rivers at the age of 44!

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Who would have imagined when the 2025-26 NFL season got underway that the Indianapolis Colts would find themselves in a mess at the quarterback position? Not many would have imagined that they would reach out to the retired 44-year-old Philip Rivers.

But, as the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures; various reports around the NFL state that this is true. So, here is all that we know about Philip Rivers and the Colts’ interest in having him back on the field just a month away from the postseason.

Colts Approach Philip Rivers for Workout

As mentioned previously, multiple sources and reports indicate that the Indianapolis Colts have approached former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers for a workout in order to solve their crisis under center.

NFL insider for ESPN, Adam Schefter, one of the most well-informed personalities, has confirmed the news, and the Colts are expected to go through with the workout session with Rivers on Tuesday.

With Daniel Jones out for the year and Riley Leonard week to week with a strained knee ligament, the Colts will work out QB Philip Rivers on Tuesday, as NFL Network reported.

It is Rivers’ birthday today; he turned 44 years old and last played in the NFL in 2020. pic.twitter.com/UrFvHsTVD5
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 9, 2025

This news has come from out of nowhere, especially since Rivers, who just turned 44, has been retired since the end of the 2020 NFL season. The veteran quarterback had a long and fruitful career in the league, spending 16 seasons with the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers before retiring after one season with the Colts.

In 2021, following his retirement from the NFL, Rivers took the head coaching job at St. Michael Catholic High School in Alabama, a position he still holds. The decision to hand Rivers a workout by the Colts is an intriguing one, not only because he hasn’t taken a snap at the professional level in nearly four years, but because Father Time will also be a crucial factor at this age.

.@AdamSchefter reports on the Colts planning to work out 44-year-old QB Philip Rivers on Tuesday.

He last played in the NFL in 2020. pic.twitter.com/YVm9lI66i2
— ESPN (@espn) December 9, 2025

Why Are the Colts Exploring Options under Center?

As unfortunate as it is, Indianapolis has been hit with injuries to its quarterback room. Starter Daniel Jones, who was playing despite a left fibula injury, tore his Achilles in last week’s loss to the Jaguars and will miss the rest of the season. That was a massive blow for the Colts since Jones was having an amazing career resurgence, and could have led them to the postseason.

per Coach Steichen, QB Daniel Jones is out for the remainder of the season with a torn achilles. pic.twitter.com/6kSN02iqtq
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 8, 2025

Backup quarterback Anthony Richardson has been on IR since October 13 due to a severe eye injury he suffered in practice one day earlier. During a workout session, Richardson had tied a resistance band to a pole, which snapped, injuring his orbital bone and forcing him to undergo surgery. Richardson remains on IR despite Daniel Jones’ injury.

Third-string rookie signal-caller took the field last week after Jones went down. The rookie seems to have picked up a knee injury, which has cast doubt over his status for the upcoming game against the Seahawks.

At present, the Colts have 29-year-old Brett Rypien signed to their practice squad, but they are in need of a proven player who can steer this team to the playoffs. Having lost the top spot in the AFC South to the Jaguars, the Colts are now facing a tough task with games against the Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars, and the Texans to come.

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!