Sportsnaut
Left without a healthy quarterback on the roster, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard got proactive by signing literal grandpa Philip Rivers off his couch. Yes, Rivers really is a grandpa. In addition to having ten children, he has two daughters who are already married, one of whom has a son.
The Colts’ signing of Rivers seemingly out of nowhere feels unprecedented, but it doesn’t quite make history. Still, that doesn’t mean the whole idea isn’t rather absurd. While we’re not going to say it won’t work for the Colts or that Rivers isn’t their best option (because he appears to be), there are several fun facts relating to his return to the NFL. Let’s go through some of them below.
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The Colts couldn’t find anyone else, such as free agents Taylor Heinicke or Ryan Tannehill. Okay, yeah, we get it, that’s not a very impressive group of options. Still, pulling a player who last played during the 2020 season out of retirement? It feels a bit nuts. After all, it’s been 1,800 days since he last threw an NFL pass on Jan. 9, 2021. But he’s not the first QB to spend multiple years away from the NFL.
Back in 1998, a then-44-year-old Steve DeBerg came out of retirement after spending five years out of the NFL. He wound up starting a game for the Falcons (who later reached the Super Bowl) and losing 28-3 to the Jets.
What has Rivers been doing since he retired from the NFL? He’s been staying involved both in football and with his kids. In fact, he’s been operating as the head football coach for St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. Perhaps more interesting is that Rivers has been having his high school team run the same offense the Colts are using now.
Fun Fact learned in production meetings:
Philip Rivers ran the same offense as the Colts for his son Gunnar’s HS team this season.
He and Shane Steichen spoke weekly about it, discussing plays and even film.
So familiarity with the scheme should be no problem whatsoever.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) December 9, 2025
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If Rivers, who’s 44, seems a bit old, it’s because he is. He’s now the NFL’s oldest player, but he has a chance to go down in history. Four 44-year-old quarterbacks have started a game in the NFL; Rivers will likely become the fifth. If he starts the Colts’ regular season finale, Rivers will become the NFL’s third-oldest QB to ever start a game.
The oldest is Tom Brady, at 45. Then comes the aforementioned Steve DeBerg, who was 44 and 279 days old. Coming in third is...
