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Philip Rivers says he's done with NFL, heading 'back to the sideline'

Thu Jan 1 2:23pm ET
Field Level Media

Philip Rivers confirmed that his NFL career will be over once the Indianapolis Colts' season ends this weekend.

The 44-year-old came out of retirement a month ago after the Colts lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending injury. He made three starts -- all losses -- and said he is returning to coaching high school football in Alabama.

"I'm back to the sideline," Rivers said on the "Up & Adams Show" on Wednesday. "This was a fun three-week blur that nobody saw coming, including myself, and that'll be it."

He has been the head coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala., since he initially retired after the 2020 season. His son, Gunner, will be the senior quarterback in the fall at St. Michael.

"My second son will be a ninth grader, so they'll be on the same team together," Rivers said. "It'll be fun to get back. The boys back home at the school have been really excited. ... It'll kickstart our offseason program to say the least. Maybe some things I say to them they'll take a little more seriously now."

Rivers was contacted by Colts coach Shane Steichen after the Jones injury about coming out of retirement to give Indianapolis a veteran presence. Rivers and Steichen are longtime colleagues.

"Everything lined up just right. Had someone (else called), there's no chance," Rivers said. "It was because it's a place I've been, a team I was familiar with, offense was exactly the same, same coach. I knew our (high school) football season was over. It was all those things that made it the perfect storm."

Rivers was a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist prior to embarking on the comeback. His candidacy now resets and he will next be eligible for induction in 2031 due to the five-year waiting period after retirement.

He spent 16 seasons with the Chargers (13 in San Diego, three in Los Angeles) and one season (2020) with the Colts before his initial retirement.

Rivers ranks sixth all-time in passing TDs (425) and eighth in passing yards (63,984), in NFL history.

In his three games with the Colts, he was 58-of-92 (63%) passing for 544 yards with four touchdown passes and three interceptions.

Rookie Riley Leonard will start Sunday for the Colts (8-8) against the Houston Texans with Indianapolis out of playoff contention.

When the Colts signed Rivers, they hoped he could lead them to the postseason. Indianapolis started the season at 7-1, then fell to 8-5 before Rivers came on board.

His three games came against teams with double-digit wins and heading to the playoffs: the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Philip Rivers says he's done with NFL, heading 'back to the sideline'

The Paur Report