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By James Brizuela
Contributing Writer
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It's official. The Indianapolis Colts are bringing 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement to play for the team amid their quarterback issues.
Read more: Colts Officially Sign 44-Year-Old Quarterback Philip Rivers
Though Rivers coming out of retirement at this age is something the NFL has not seen very many times, his return
Read More on NFL
This all began on Sunday, as Daniel Jones suffered a brutal season-ending Achilles tear. Following the injury, Riley Leonard would come in as relief.
The issue is that Leonard also suffered a knee injury, which is currently described as a ligament issue. His status for Sunday's game was very much up in the air. The Colts cannot bring back Anthony Richardson, as he remains on IR due to an eye injury.
Indianapolis clearly ran out of options very fast, and they chose to ask Rivers to return to essentially save the day. The issue is Rivers is giving up a major career award to do so.
Rivers made it as a semi-finalist in this year's 2025 Hall of Fame class. However, that will all go away with his return to the field.
Rivers is joining the practice squad, but once he is signed to the active roster, his Hall of Fame eligibility will reset.
"In regards to Philip Rivers' Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility, according to The Hall: If he is signed to the active roster, his HOF eligibility clock resets. That's a 5-year wait. If he is only signed the practice squad, it does not. Rivers is one of 26 semifinalists for the Class of '26 HOF," NFL insider Steve Wyche wrote on X.
Essentially, Rivers' playing will lead to his eligibility resetting, and he would presumably not be eligible again for the Hall of Fame until the year 2030.
Rivers is giving up a lot to return to the NFL. Then again, he could also make a stronger case for himself, should he lead the Colts to the playoffs and more.
Rivers was already a semi-finalist, but coming back out and playing inspired football at the age of 44 could lead to his being more of a shoo-in for the greatest honor in football when all is said and done.
Considering the injuries to the Colts' quarterback room, expect Rivers to potentially start on Sunday when the team takes on the Seattle Seahawks in a "must-win" showdown.
For more on the Colts and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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