The Indianapolis Colts seem more and more likely to start 44-year-old Philip Rivers this week. It’s apparently enough to inspire Tom Brady.
Rivers has not taken the field since 2020 – retiring after 16 seasons with the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers, as well as the Colts.
But now, five years removed from the field, Rivers will be returning after season-ending injuries to Colts quarterback Daniel Jones have left the team desperate for a signal caller.
Tom Brady has plenty of expertise in the field of reversing retirements and poked some fun at himself when talking about Rivers’ return.
‘Who retires and then unretires and then is ultimately going to retire again?’ Brady joked in an appearance on Fox Sports’ talk show ‘The Herd’.
‘Who does that? That’s ridiculous for Philip to do that.’
Tom Brady joked about his chances of returning to play in the NFL after Philip Rivers un-retired
Rivers, 44, hasn’t played since the 2020 campaign – but is set to start for the Colts this week
Brady, age 48, was one of the longest tenured players in NFL history – lasting 23 seasons before retiring in 2023.
He initially called it a career after the 2021 season, before announcing his return 40 days later to play the 2022 campaign.
However, just three seasons removed from the last time he put on the pads, Brady still believes he could strut onto the gridiron.
‘Yes, I certainly could,’ he said on the show. ‘I think the answer for me would be yes.
‘I’m not allowed to anymore because I’m a minority owner of the [Las Vegas] Raiders, so I can’t unretire.’
Rivers, who has ten children and is a grandfather, had been coaching high school football in his native Alabama since hanging up his helmet.
However, he’s apparently been in communication with the Colts coaching staff in the years since and is familiar enough with their offensive system that they’ve turned to him with four games remaining in the regular season.
Rivers will be tasked with keeping the Colts on course for a playoff berth with upcoming matchups against four tough opponents: the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.