When the Indianapolis Colts needed a new starting quarterback after Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson weren’t available, they called upon a player who hadn’t played NFL football in five years, Philip Rivers. The 44-year-old ended up starting three games for the Colts, but losing all three games helped eliminate Indianapolis from playoff contention.
With nothing left to play for, the Colts turned to sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard as their starting quarterback for Indianapolis’ regular-season finale. Now, Rivers has to figure out what’s next for him in life.
Rivers won’t be returning for another season of playing in the NFL; he’s already said as much.
“Oh yeah, yeah. I’ll be right back on the sideline,” Rivers said when asked if another comeback was out of the question, “which I’m sure many watching probably said that’s probably where you belong.”
However, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Rivers “could end up as a head coach candidate this cycle. The current belief is that Rivers gets at least one opportunity to interview, possibly more.”
Rapoport adds that “teams have been doing research on Rivers as a candidate and making background calls.” Though this is not the first year that teams have gathered info on Rivers as a potential coach, Rivers had previously never been willing to listen.
However, there’s no guarantee that Rivers is willing to interview for a head coaching position in the NFL. Yet, Rivers did leave that opportunity open during a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show.
“I’ve not ruled it out,” Rivers said. “But every opportunity that’s been close to coming or has come up just hasn’t felt right. … The one thing I’ve loved since I was however old playing this game and being now as a coach is I’ve been able to have some impact on the score. You might be good at it, talking about it, but I have nothing to do with the outcome of this game.”
Rivers had been coaching his son, Gunner, in high school, but he’s now in his senior year. That leads us to believe Rivers won’t leave for the NFL until at least 2027, unless he wants to follow him to college as well.
Though, Rivers has another son, who’s set to enter ninth grade and will also be teaming up with Gunner on the same high school team. With Rivers placing such a high priority on staying close to his family, it could be a while before he considers other coaching offers.
Related: Indiana’s Curt Cignetti Emerges as Potential NFL Head Coach Candidate
