The Indianapolis Colts cannot stay healthy at the quarterback position. Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles on Sunday, which will end his 2025 season. To make matters worse, both backups Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard are banged up too. Could that lead to a reunion with veteran Philip Rivers?
The Colts had the 44-year-old quarterback in for a visit on Monday, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. He reportedly threw the ball well.
Additionally, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Rivers will work out for Indianapolis on Tuesday as well, per ESPN's Stephen Holder.
Nothing has been agreed to yet between the two sides yet. In fact, it remains to be seen whether Indianapolis would sign Rivers, or if Rivers actually wants to return to the NFL.
There are plenty of unknowns surrounding a potential Rivers reunion with the Colts.
Rivers is currently retired from the NFL. He most recently played for Indianapolis during the 2020 season when he led them to an unlikely playoff berth. Perhaps the Colts want to try and capture that same magic again five years later.
But there is no guarantee that it will happen.
It is unclear whether Rivers is still in football shape after multiple years of retirement. If Rivers does need a handful of weeks to get back into shape, he may arrive too late to make a difference.
But Indy is not worried about Rivers learning their playbook. He learned Shane Steichen's system back during the 2020 season, so it should be easy to pick up again. Plus Rivers spent plenty of time with Steichen when he was an offensive coordinator with the Chargers.
The Colts believe that Rivers' familiarity with their system could give them a realistic shot at staying competitive.
Indianapolis' interest in Rivers is both logical and desperate. Now that Jones is done for the season, the Colts have very few options. Anthony Richardson may not return this season because of an orbital fracture. That means if Leonard is unable to play, journeyman Brett Rypien would be the last man standing.
If the Colts do not add Rivers, they should keep searching for other quarterbacks.
Next up for the Colts is a Week 15 matchup against the Seahawks. That's a difficult matchup regardless of who is under center.
