Philip Rivers’ comeback to the Indianapolis Colts didn’t happen on a whim. Before he agreed to return after a five-year layoff, he leaned on two coaches he already knew well: Shane Steichen and Frank Reich.
The Colts were in a bind in 2025 after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14. Rather than hand the job to rookie Riley Leonard, Indianapolis convinced Rivers to come out of retirement and take over immediately.
Reich’s role in that decision stood out. He had coached Rivers with the Chargers and also during Rivers’ only previous season in Indianapolis, and Rivers said on the Jack Doyle Podcast that he went to him with real doubt about whether he could still do it.
“I had a conversation with (Reich) a few hours before I said 'I'm going for it... So Frank, you've heard everything I've wrestled with, so why do it?'
It was a memory I'll always have, and his answer was, 'Because you can.' And I was like, 'You're dang right, I can!'"
That answer helped push Rivers back into the league, even though the version of him the Colts got wasn’t the one fans once knew at his peak. His arm strength had never been his calling card, and by last season it was clear he wasn’t going to stress defenses deep.
He also wasn’t a threat as a runner. But Indianapolis had an offensive line that kept him upright most of the time, and Rivers’ football IQ let him work within Shane Steichen’s offense without taking unnecessary punishment.
He did enough to keep the Colts in most of his three starts.
The schedule didn’t do him many favors either. Indianapolis lost a tight one to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 15, then fell to the playoff-bound San Francisco 49ers in a game where the Colts still put up 27 points on offense, and closed that stretch with another hard loss to the eventual AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars.
Three playoff teams in three weeks. Two of those games came down to the wire.
Even with the losses, Rivers’ return is the kind of thing Colts fans will remember years from now. The team didn’t make the playoffs, but the sight of Rivers back under center will linger longer than the standings from that season.
And for all the uncertainty around whether he could still play, Rivers gave the NFL one more run. It may have been the last time fans see him in a game, but he was good enough - and stubborn enough - to make it matter.
In Other News...
Colts May Have Found Their Answer In The Middle Of Defense
The Colts defense is already looking ahead to 2026, and one of the more intriguing names in that conversation is rookie linebacker CJ Allen. A second-round pick out of Georgia, Allen arrives with the kind of pedigree that can fast-track a young defender into real responsibility, especially when a team is trying to identify who can grow into a central role in the middle of the field.
What makes Allen worth watching is not just the draft slot, but the way Indianapolis seems positioned to lean on him sooner rather than later. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has already shown confidence in the rookie, and that matters for a unit looking for stability and leadership in the middle. The Colts may not be ready to hand him the whole job yet, but the opening is there, and Allen has the profile to turn it into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Decision On Kenny Moore II Suddenly Looks Very Different
When the Colts moved on from Kenny Moore II, it was framed as part of a broader reset in the secondary, a chance to get younger, cheaper and more flexible on defense. The decision also cleared nearly $10 million in cap space, but it came with a clear football cost: Moore was still one of the more proven nickelbacks in the league, with Pro Bowl credentials and years of experience in a role that has become central to how Indianapolis wants to play.
Now the Colts are proceeding without him, and the early plan says a lot about how much theyre asking of the next wave. Justin Walley and Austin Brown are expected to handle most of the nickel work, with rookie A.J. Haulcy and Cam Bynum also rotating in. That is a very different look from the one Moore provided, and it leaves the Colts betting that their revamped approach can hold up even as one of the more familiar pieces of the defense remains on the outside looking in. [Read more 🡒]