AFC playoff hopeful makes desperate move at quarterback

Just a few weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts were looked at as a leading AFC contender. With quarterback Daniel Jones having a career year the Colts made an aggressive move at the trade deadline sending out two first-round picks for cornerback Sauce Gardner. At 8-2, the team was squarely in the mix.

Fast forward a few weeks and things have changed. The Colts have lost three in a row and last week lost Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury (he'd already been trying to play through a broken fibula). With backup Riley Leonard also getting banged up and being week-to-week with a knee injury the Colts suddenly found themselves desperate at quarterback - and are now taking a big swing.

As reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter and others, the Colts are signing 44-year-old Philip Rivers to their practice squad. Rivers visited the Colts on Monday for a workout, and now joins the team.

The last time Rivers played in an NFL game was in 2020, having joined the Colts after a 16-year career with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. He led the team to an 11-5 record and playoff appearance that season.

Rumors floated about him making a return in 2021 or 2022 but never came to fruition. This past summer he signed a ceremonial one-day contract to retire as a member of the Chargers. Rivers is currently a semifinalist on the ballot for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 (although he would be removed from the ballot if officially added to the Colts' roster).

Now Rivers joins the Colts team as a potential backup for Leonard. The only other healthy quarterback in the building for Indy is practice squad member Brett Rypien, who has played for eight NFL teams in his seven-year career, and hasn't thrown a pass in the regular season since 2023.

That could set up Rivers to be the Colts' backup quarterback (if not starter) as a practice squad elevation as early as this week when they travel to face the Seattle Seahawks. According to Schefter, "before the Colts can determine how soon Philip Rivers can play, they have to see how he feels and practices Wednesday and Thursday. But there is this: Rivers has played in this offense his entire career, so it is expected to be more of a physical question than a mental one."

Things don't get any easier for the Colts after that one. They also face the San Francisco 49ers, and then have divisional matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

As this all plays out the Colts have little wiggle room to salvage their season. Entering Week 15 they currently are the first team out of the AFC playoff picture, trailing the Jaguars by one game in the AFC South and have the same record but not the tiebreaker over the Texans for the final Wild Card spot. That's a spot to watch for New England Patriots fans, as a potential first-round playoff opponent if the Patriots don't get the top AFC seed and first-round bye.