Philip Rivers led the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs in his first season with the team, but the veteran quarterback will not be doing it again in 2021.
Rivers told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune on Tuesday that he is retiring from the NFL. He will make the official announcement on Wednesday.
“It’s just time,” Rivers said. “It’s just right.”
Rivers also issued the following statement:
Philip Rivers’ statement to ESPN is dadgum tremendous: pic.twitter.com/30KaEFGy0X
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 20, 2021
Rivers says he still loves playing and knows he can make throws, but he doesn’t see that changing anytime soon. He certainly proved he is still capable of winning in the NFL this season, as he led the Colts to an 11-5 record and an AFC South title.
Despite that success, Rivers said he is most excited now about the opportunity to coach high school football.
“What has helped me come to this (decision) is the growing desire to coach high school football,” Rivers told Acee. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s been growing. I can’t wait.”
Not long after he signed a one-year, $25 million deal with the Colts, Rivers committed to coaching at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala., upon his retirement. That made it seem likely that he would only play one season in Indianapolis, though he did hint fairly recently that he wanted to keep playing.
There has already been speculation that Rivers could become an NFL analyst, and plenty of major networks want him. He did not mention entering that line of work, however, and it’s unlikely that he could do that while coaching a high school team.
Rivers finishes his career ranked fifth all-time in the NFL with 63,440 passing yards and 421 touchdown passes. His streak of 240 consecutive games started is the second-longest ever behind Brett Favre’s 297. The Hall of Fame awaits.
