Why Warren Moon is so ‘alarmed’ by Philip Rivers’ Colts return at 44

Years ago, the legendary Warren Moon played at 44 with the Kansas City Chiefs, and now, Philip Rivers will do that with the Indianapolis Colts after coming out of retirement.

However, Rivers' comeback worries Moon, who knows what it's like to go through the rigors of an NFL season at 44 years old. Unlike Moon, though, Rivers hasn't played recently. Moon played from 1978 to 2000. Rivers, meanwhile, has been out of action for five years.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Moon talked about Rivers' comeback. He knows some veteran quarterbacks like former Colts signal-caller Joe Flacco are still slinging the rock in his 40s, but he's also been playing more consistently than Rivers.

“We've seen guys like Joe Flacco come back and do great coming out of retirement, but he wasn't in retirement very long,” Moon said. “In this situation, I'm a little more alarmed because he's been away from the game for so long.

“[Philip's] been away for five years, and even though he's been around the game, he's coached the game, he probably still talks about it with his all-offensive coordinator, Shane Steichen, and all those guys, you just don't know how his body is going to react to getting out there every day, the grind of practicing, how his body is going to feel after a week of practice,” he continued.

Warren Moon's advice for Philip Rivers ahead of Colts return

The biggest concern Moon has is Rivers' ability to process things quickly. Moon wondered if he'd “still have those fast-twitch muscles that it takes to go out there and play this game.”

Moon knows the game has only gotten faster since Rivers retired. So, he's going to watch Rivers closely. He did have advice for him: “Rely on your running backs.”

He elaborated, “They've got a great running back [Jonathan Taylor] behind him that they can lean on, and their offensive line is going to have to really play well, really play physical to control the line of scrimmage and keep him out of long yardage situations.