Philip Rivers confirms future plans for professional football after 'three-week blur nobody saw coming'

Philip Rivers has officially retired from professional football for the second time. The 44-year-old quarterback played three games with the Indianapolis Colts this season before deciding to hang up his cleats for good. He made the announcement on the Up & Adams Show.

According to People, Rivers made it clear he won’t be returning to the field. “Hell no. I am [done],” he said. “I got a son who will be a senior, and that St. Michael football team ready to go. We got beat in the semifinals two years in a row. So, it’ll be his senior year. My second son will be a ninth grader, so they’ll be on the same team together.”

The former NFL star first retired in 2021 after playing 17 seasons in the league. That same year, he became the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic. Rivers said his team lost in the semifinals two years in a row, and he’s determined to help them win next season.

Rivers only came back because it was the Colts

Rivers explained he only returned to play because the Colts called him. He stepped in after quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles during the season. “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, our football season was over, all those things made it kinda the perfect storm,” he said. 

The quarterback said there was “no chance” he would have come back for any other team. Everything about the situation felt right, from his familiarity with the organization to the fact that the playbook hadn’t changed. When asked if he’d consider joining another team next season, Rivers firmly said no.

Rivers called his brief return “a fun three-week blur that nobody saw coming.” He admitted even he didn’t expect to play professional football again. Some of his high school players attended his game last week, and he thinks they’ll take his coaching more seriously now that he just played in the NFL. 

Much like how Anthony Joshua recovered from a serious accident in Nigeria, Rivers is moving forward from this unexpected chapter.

The father of 10 said he’s excited to get back to coaching the boys at home. He believes his three-game comeback will help kickstart the team’s offseason program. His players have been really excited about his return to the sideline.

Riley Leonard will play quarterback for the Colts’ final game of the season. Rivers previously told reporters he had no regrets about his brief comeback. He said he got three bonus games he never expected and felt thankful for the opportunity. Similar to Sean Payton’s controversial take on New Year’s Eve celebrations, Rivers is staying true to his priorities and heading back to what matters most to him.