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The Indianapolis Colts fell to 8-8 after losing their sixth straight game on Sunday. While the Colts were already eliminated from the playoffs, Philip Rivers took the field in Week 17 for the team’s final home game of 2025.
Rivers un-retired and re-signed with the Colts in an effort to save Indy’s season after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. But the 44-year-old quarterback couldn’t pull the team out of its spiral. With the Colts out of the playoff hunt, Rivers announced his re-retirement.
“I’m back to the sideline,” Rivers told Kay Adams on the Up & Adams Show. “This was a fun, three-week blur that nobody saw coming, including myself. And that’ll be it.”
Rivers assured Adams that he is done with football, explaining that he only came back after a five-year absence because the Colts presented the perfect situation.
“I knew I was done in 2020… This was just– everything just lined up right. Because [had a different team] called, there was no chance. Because, again, it was a place I’d been, a team I was familiar with, the offense was exactly the same, a coach I knew. It was all those things [that] made it a perfect storm.”
Riley Leonard will start for the Colts in the regular season finale. And Rivers is excited to get back to coaching high school football.
“I think [returning to the Colts will] kickstart our offseason program to say the least. Maybe some things I say to them they’ll take a little more serious now that I was just out there playing a few weeks ago.”
After an 8-2 start the Colts hit a wall. Rivers did his best to hold the team together following Jones’ injury. The eight-time Pro Bowler had some vintage moments in his surprise three-game return to the NFL. And he struggled at times as well.
Rivers carved up the 49ers early in Week 16’s MNF matchup and he gave the Colts a chance to win against the Seahawks. But he couldn’t snap Indianapolis’ losing streak.
Still, the un-retirement wasn’t a total failure. Rivers secured health benefits for the next five years with his return. That’s no small thing for a man with 10 children.
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