- Newly retired quarterback Philip Rivers says that he hasn’t ruled out making a NFL comeback.
- Rivers’ previous team, the Indianapolis Colts, are in desperate need of an experienced quarterback.
- Current Colts’ starer Carson Wentz is facing the possibility of a lengthy rehab following surgery to remove a bone from his left foot.
Ever since reports surfaced about a potentially serious injury suffered by Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Carson Wentz it quickly became apparent that they’re in desperate need of some experience at the position. The Colts had three quarterbacks behind Wentz on the depth chart at the time of his injury but none with any actual live game NFL experience. They’ve since brought in former Green Bay/Seattle/Arizona backup quarterback Brett Hundley who has at least has started a few games in the NFL. The operative term there is ‘few’–Hundley has appeared in 13 games starting 9.
At this point, the Colts are probably going to wait a week or so and see if they can get some idea of how long Wentz will be sidelined. The initial prognosis for his rehab timeframe was ‘5 to 12 weeks’ which could be potentially disastrous for Indy. The problem is that until Wentz gets a week or so into his post surgery recovery there’s no way to know how quickly he’d be ready to go back to work. If it ends up being at the high end of that range there’s a good chance that the Colts would try and acquire a veteran quarterback. Nick Foles has been mentioned along with Gardner Minshew but neither is a perfect fit.
Earlier today, another veteran quarterback teased his interest in potentially coming back to help the Colts out–their starting quarterback from 2020 and future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers. All Rivers did during his career is throw for 63,440 passing yards good for fifth best all time. He didn’t look too shabby last year either throwing for 4,169 yards and 24 touchdowns. He got the Colts to the playoffs with a record of 11-5 where they lost to Buffalo in the wild card round.
Rivers didn’t come right out and say it but it doesn’t look like retirement at age 39 when he’s clearly got some ‘left in the tank’ is agreeing with him. He claims he’s ‘having a great time’ as the first year head coach of St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama but it couldn’t be more readily apparent that he’s pining for another run in the NFL. He tried to brush it off but you can ‘read between the lines’ in this comment:
“I’m not quite there. I’m getting back there. I wouldn’t have made weight if I had to report last week, that’s for sure. But I am getting back into the lifting and running, and shoot, I occasionally throw a ball around out here in this heat. It’s not too hard to get a good lather going.”
He even comes with a self effacing “I’m not sure anyone would want me” routine:
“I’m just going to stay ready. I want to make sure I’m very clear: I’m not predicting I will play in December or January, for that matter. One, you’ve got to have somebody who wants you, and two, it’s got to be right.”
“But I have not completely ruled that out.”
For whatever it’s worth, St. Michael Catholic High School plays their last regular season game on October 29, which is Week 8 of the NFL season. Of course, Rivers didn’t say anything that would suggest he’s not willing to leave the high school kids in the lurch. Would you be willing to give up a starting QB gig in the NFL to coach a high school team in Alabama that has a record of 6-25 over the past three years?
At BetOnline.ag they’re offering a prop bet on the Game 1 starter for the Indianapolis Colts:
COLTS STARTING QB GAME 1 2021-2022 NFL SEASON
Jacob Eason -150 Nick Foles +200 Brett Hundley +500 Sam Ehlinger +600 Marcus Mariota +700 Philip Rivers +1000 Cam Newton +1400 Jimmy Garoppolo +1400
I have to think Rivers is a decent value at +1000. The implied probability at that price is 9.1% and you have to think that there’s a better than 10% chance Rivers comes out of retirement. Marcus Mariota is currently Derek Carr’s backup with the Las Vegas Raiders. There’s a story now making the rounds that the Colts expressed some interest in Mariota before they landed Wentz. Newton and Garoppolo both have talented young players competing with them but there’s not been any serious indication that they’re on the trading block.
