FOR REAL THIS TIME

Grandpa NFL Quarterback, 44, Retires From Football Again

Philip Rivers said Sunday’s matchup against the Texans will be his last.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers confirmed that he will be retiring from the NFL—again. Rivers, 44, told sports commentator Kay Adams on the Up and Adams show on Wednesday that he would conclude his surprise return to the NFL after the Colts’ divisional matchup against the Houston Texans on Sunday. He said that he had intended to fully retire following the 2020 season, after 17 years in the league, but couldn’t pass up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help out his old team. “Because [Indianapolis] was a place I had been, a team I was familiar with. The offense was exactly the same. The coach [Shane Steichen] I knew. It was all those things. Our football season was over. It was all those things just made it kind of the perfect storm,” Rivers explained, on returning. The re-retiree, who is four years older than Colts head coach Shane Steichen, became the league’s oldest active player when he came out of retirement to join the team after their star quarterback, Daniel Jones, suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. Rivers has 10 children and became a grandfather in 2024.