DECEMBER 10: Leonard will practice on Wednesday, according to Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. The Colts will decide their starter by the end of the week, Erickson adds.
DECEMBER 9: The Colts’ quarterback situation remains in flux after a season-ending injury to quarterback Daniel Jones.
Riley Leonard, who finished Sunday’s game, is dealing with a Grade 1 PCL sprain, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. His status will be updated on Wednesday when the Colts release their first injury report of Week 15. That could position Philip Rivers to start within a week of re-signing in Indianapolis.
With Leonard considered day-to-day, there is a “very real chance” that Rivers starts for Indianapolis in Week 15, Rapoport added later in the day. His Monday night workout showed that he still can pass the football, but his conditioning may not be game-ready quiet yet, according to ESPN’s Eric Holder.
The Colts may have been planning to bring Rivers in regardless of Leonard’s injury, but it certainly has raised the urgency for the team to add another quarterback, especially one that could come in and play right away. Rivers is very familiar with Colts head coach Shane Steichen after spending six seasons together with the Chargers. Steichen was the team’s quarterbacks coach for four years while Rivers was the starter. Their relationship played a role in this latest reunion, per Holder.
And despite not playing in the last few years, Rivers still has a deep understanding of the Colts’ offensive scheme. After retiring, he took over as the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. He has been running a version of Steichen’s offense, per CBS Sports’ J.J. Watt, with the two discussing it weekly.
This is not the only time that Rivers has considered coming out of retirement with other quarterback situations occasionally stirring some conversations, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, but none have ever made enough sense to actually pull the trigger. His past relationship with Steichen and the Colts clearly make this a different situation.
Rivers will have a short week to get into playing shape and build chemistry with his new teammates, though he has already played with a few. Left guard Quenton Nelson and right tackle Braden Smith blocked for Rivers in 2020; also in that offense were then-rookies Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman.
Yes! The league’s first player grandfather to start!
This is the story of the decade in every major sport. I’m serious. Rivers is literally a grandfather.
Favre was the first grandparent to play in the NFL
Favre wasn’t a grandpa yet in 2010?
Favre became a Grandpa in college.
I’d love to see this haha
I much rather remember star athletes as they were in their prime rather than desperate guys, living in denial, trying to prove they still got it.
I hope this thinking doesn’t apply to PFR commenters. I’m in my mid 50’s and still enjoy leaving sarcastic posts!
I think we’ve both aged a bit in this forum arty! It’s been about a decade now I reckon. We should be getting some sort of stamina award from the PFR staff at the end of the year 🙂
Between Jeff Saturday and Philip Rivers, the Colts are definitely the leaders in bringing high school coaches aboard during the season this decade. The Lions are second at one in Teddy Bridgewater.
Tied with the Bucs, who also snuggled up with Teddy
The Bucs signed him during the offseason.
This game needs to be flexed to Sunday night. This is going to be wild.
Way too late for that to happen. Indy-Seattle IS getting the entire CBS Pacific Coast network along with Louisville, Jacksonville, Houston, and the usual Colts markets. Back half of a CBS doubleheader.
I don’t even know who the Colts are playing but this game needs to be flexed into a national game on SNF.
Seahawks, so it would be a great idea to put it in prime time. However, the current game is Vikings-Cowboys and they’re not going to flex Jerrah out of his prime time game.
That is…just a brutal way to kick off an even more brutal schedule for a 44 year old. It’s hard enough for a 20 year old. Or a spry 38 year old who starts for the Rams…
Seahawks might just kill bro
Kind of hoping so honestly.
What’s Johnny Unitas up to these days?
Either dressing in white & playing a harp or complaining about how hot it is.
Watching down from heaven
Better sign Trask, an Tannehill
Rivers coming out of retirement must mean he has been concussed a lot more times than we thought. Does he really want to become the embarrassment Mike Tyson has become with his ill conceived comebacks?
In consideration of his age,
the NFL announced that
whenever Rivers plays an offensive series
he will be driven on and off the field
in a golf cart.
I hope he brings them all the way lol
Think it’d be dadgumed terrific If’n he started and brought a “90+ yard touchdown”.
Colts should ask VJ if he wants to come in a catch a few passes!
A week ago this guy was cleaning barnacles off a boat.
I love it! I hope he slices and dices. I’m rooting for him.