Nearly five years removed from his last NFL game, 44-year-old Philip Rivers is returning to try to lead the Indianapolis Colts into the playoffs.
It’s a ridiculous situation created by the Colts losing Daniel Jones to a torn Achilles and additional injuries to backups Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson. This has almost no precedent in the NFL. Even a good start would make Rivers, the grandfather, an NFL legend.
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So naturally, 48-year-old Tom Brady thinks he can do it too. Only one thing held him back.
The New England Patriots great discussed the return of his fellow longtime quarterback on Thursday on “The Herd” on Fox Sports. When asked if he could get off the couch and generate offense in an NFL game this weekend with some knowledge of the offense, Brady responded in the affirmative while teasing his return from retirement:
“Yes, of course I can. But first, who retires, then retires and then eventually retires again? Who does that? It’s ridiculous for Philip to do that. But it’s good for him and I’m glad he does it.
“I think the answer for me is yes. I’m not allowed to do that anymore because I’m a minority owner in the Raiders, so I can’t un-retire, but I’m excited to see Phillip play because I think it’s pretty cool.”
Brady is correct that the only way he can follow Rivers is to sell his stake in the Raiders. The NFL explicitly prohibits its players from owning stock in teams, and some teams were very upset that he was working as a broadcaster for Fox while owning stock in the team.
So, sadly, it seems we’ll never get to see if Brady can prove himself right.
Of course, Tom Brady thinks he can still play in the NFL. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
(Patrick Smith via Getty Images)
Brady, who played in the NFL until he was 45, is generally optimistic that Rivers will have a chance to succeed if he starts for the Colts:
“It speaks to how much he loves the game and what he’s still able to do. For the quarterback, the game starts from the neck up. We used to have a saying at Michigan, mind to body, like four to one at the quarterback position. That hasn’t really gone away. That’s still there.
“Do you still have the physical ability to do that? Take hits, throw, take downs, buy a little time? If Phillip has been practicing those things, we’re all going to see it on full display Sunday afternoon in Seattle.”
It has not yet been determined whether Rivers or the returning Leonard will start for the Colts on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Since Rivers is technically on the practice squad, Indianapolis will have to step up his game before the game.
