Philip Rivers declares that he's done with football after remarkable run with Colts: 'I’m back to the sideline'
- - Philip Rivers declares that he's done with football after remarkable run with Colts: 'I’m back to the sideline'
Jason Owens January 1, 2026 at 2:13 AM
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Philip Rivers is done this time. He swears.
After a three-game comeback that exceeded all reasonable expectations, the 44-year-old quarterback said Wednesday that there won't be another. He's done playing NFL football.
Rivers made an appearance on "Up & Adams" and was asked by host Kay Adams if he's done playing in the NFL.
"I am," Rivers said.
As Adams urged him to reconsider, Rivers went on to talk about his family and his job coaching a high school football team in Alabama. Adams astutely pointed out that he's already declared his retirement once when he quit football for the first time in 2021, only to come back nearly five years later.
Rivers responded that "everything just lined up just right" to allow him to return to an Indianapolis Colts franchise that he'd previously played for and that he wouldn't be interested in playing for a new team. Not even a hypothetical opportunity with a contending Rams team in the event of Matthew Stafford's retirement could sway him.
"I'm back to the sideline," Rivers said. "This was a fun, three-week blur that nobody saw coming, including myself. And that'll be it."
Philip Rivers announces second retirement, per @UpAndAdamsShow.pic.twitter.com/J9o8uEIBA4
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) January 1, 2026
Rivers returning to the NFL in 2026 was never really in the cards. Again, he's 44 years old. But his performance in three games made the prospect a little less absurd.
On days' notice, Rivers joined the Colts from his job as a dad and a high-school football coach, took over the offense and started in an NFL game, the first of three.
The Colts lost all three of his starts, but he kept them competitive in games against the playoff-bound Seahawks, 49ers and Jaguars, each of which will enter Week 18 with a chance to clinch a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. His arm wasn't what it used to be, but he performed as a competent NFL starting quarterback.
In the process, Rivers developed into one of the stories of the NFL season while drawing almost universal admiration for his play and his approach to the game.
It adds up to a remarkable coda to a career that everyone, Rivers included, thought was long done. And it's a fine way for Rivers to go out on his own terms.
Source: “AOL Sports”
