The Indianapolis Colts called and Philip Rivers answered.
The longtime star quarterback has come out of NFL retirement after nearly five years away from football and is headed back to the gridiron.
"They wanted me. And, you know, I try to keep it as simple as that," the 44-year-old grandfather and dad of 10 said Wednesday in a post-practice press conference.
Rivers initially retired from football in January 2021 after just one season with the Colts to conclude his 17-year NFL career. He later had a ceremonial retirement with the Los Angeles Chargers -- his team of 16 years -- in 2025.
As he prepares to potentially take his first snaps for the Colts on Sunday, Rivers reflected on watching the team's starting quarterback Daniel Jones go down with an Achilles injury last week and wondering if he may get the call.
"Certainly, I wasn't really hanging on to any hope of playing again. I kind of thought that ship had sailed, but something about it excited me," he said. "It's kind of one of those deals [where] the door opens, and you can either walk through it and find out if you can do it, or run from it."
He added, "I know that there's risk involved ... but the only way of finding out is going for it."
Rivers shares a long history and friendship with Colts head coach Shane Steichen, who was previously an offensive and quarterback coach for several years during Rivers' time with the Chargers and during the transition from San Diego to Los Angeles.
According to ESPN, Steichen already had support from ownership for Rivers to join the roster as an emergency option, and Rivers agreed to work out for the team prior to Jones going down with an Achilles injury on Dec. 7, having already suffered a broken fibula earlier in the season.
The decision was further solidified after backup quarterback Riley Leonard reported to work with a knee sprain on Monday, according to ESPN.
Steichen said Wednesday that the team would "see how the week goes" before deciding who to start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, according to the Colts.
Rivers, who has kept busy coaching high school football in Alabama since his retirement, acknowledged the challenges ahead, but said during Wednesday's press conference that this was a chance he could not pass up, one that his family, friends and others are excited about.
He noted that although his wife Tiffany Rivers has "been my biggest fan the whole time I've played," she was still "nervous about the physical aspect of it, as you would expect any wife to [be]."
"My boys were fired up, obviously," he said. "But I think they share the same sentiment -- a little nervous, like, 'Dad, you think you can do it?' You know, and then my older girls are real excited ... they're grown adults [now], married, and they remember, 16 years old, going to the ball game."
He added, "So it's been ... a whirlwind of a 48 hours, I'll say, but each moment that goes by, I feel more and more confident. I really do."
