Philip Rivers knows he’s back in the NFL for a good time, and not a long time.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback spoke to reporters Sunday following the team’s 23-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. With the Colts expected to start rookie QB Riley Leonard in next week’s season finale, a teary-eyed Rivers knew his NFL comeback could be coming to an end.
“I’m going to be on board to do what’s best for the guys,” Rivers said. “If this is the last game, shoot, I told you guys I wouldn’t have any regrets about coming back, and I don’t, other than us not winning. It’s been an absolute blast for three weeks.”
“If I go back and say, ‘Alright, now you know everything that’s gonna happen, what are you going to do?’ I’d do it all again. It’s been absolutely awesome. I got 3 bonus games that I never saw coming, and I couldn’t be more thankful that I got the opportunity.”
Rivers said it is easy for him to accept that his unexpected NFL comeback could come to an end after three games because he had already felt “at peace” during his final game with the Colts in 2021. Rivers threw for 309 yards with a pair of touchdowns in a 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round that season.
Rivers was just happy he got the chance to do it all again five years later. Over his last three games, Rivers threw for 544 yards with 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. While Indianapolis lost all three contests, it’s hard not to see Rivers as a big winner for proving he could still sling passes (and even berate the referees again) at age 44.
