The answer to examining why Philip Rivers is not an Indianapolis Colt originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Indianapolis Colts officially announced that starting quarterback Daniel Jones will miss the season with a torn Achilles tendon. But as the news about Jones broke, rookie backup quarterback Riley Leonard, who replaced the injured Jones, also announced that he had strained knee ligaments. As injuries continue to mount at the position, the Indianapolis Colts are looking to find familiar faces from the past to rejoin their roster. Philip Rivers, who signed a one-day contract with the Los Angeles Chargers that will retire on July 21, 2025, has been contacted by the Colts and flown to Indianapolis for a workout. No one expected to hear anything about Rivers, but the current high school football head coach was intrigued by the potential opportunity. Rivers had a great career and did some extraordinary things on the court, but there was also a time when he gave up on a chapter of his life.
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Rivers was a great quarterback, but late in his career, one thing was missing. As his career continued, Rivers lost arm strength. In his final season with the Indianapolis Colts, he had to be replaced by a backup quarterback because his arm wasn’t strong enough to throw deep passes like a Hail Mary. It’s been five years since he last played, and his arm strength probably hasn’t improved at all since then. Due to his lack of arm strength, he may be limited when throwing mid-depth and on throw routes outside the number. This type of restriction will hinder the Colts offense and make it more predictable. Ultimately, this will make Rivers a target for some exotic defenses.
In addition to his lack of arm strength, keep in mind that Rivers hasn’t played football in five years, which means he hasn’t taken any hits. Over time, your body gets used to the hits it takes during football games. This way, you get used to standing in the pocket and passing the ball. Rivers needs time to get used to hitting again because eventually he’s going to get hit. Even with more rules in place to protect quarterbacks from hard hits, his forty-something body doesn’t respond to hits the way it once did. That way, the soreness of readjusting to playing football will last longer, especially since he won’t have a training camp to prepare himself. He may be brought onto the practice squad to be ready for games, but how long will that take and by the time he’s ready to play, will the season be over?
Great players often find it difficult to leave the game completely, but sometimes their dad tells them it’s time to leave the game. It will be interesting to see if Rivers has anything left in him if he decides to officially return with the Colts. But if he did, I know it wouldn’t be an incredible comeback story. There will be difficulties to overcome that are just part of the aging process.