Philip Rivers Hopes Valiant Effort in Return to NFL Inspires Players of All Ages

Rivers looked to the high school football team he coaches, and his own sons, hoping that he would inspire them to take risks in life.

Philip Rivers #17 of the Indianapolis Colts looks on during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 14, 2025 in Seattle, Washington state. Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers wants to be an inspiration to football players, young and old.

At 44 years old, more than five years removed from the last time he threw a football in an NFL game, Rivers nearly led the Colts to a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 14.

Rivers, who coaches high school football in Alabama, said he wants to inspire his players and his children to take risks in life and not be afraid of failure.

One word was continuously on his mind throughout his postgame press conference.

“Grateful,” he said. “Grateful running out for warm-ups and all that, and out there for the anthem, and as the game just got going, I was just thankful, grateful, that I was out there. And it was a blast.”

As a competitor, he was disappointed that his team came up just short in the 18-16 loss.

“We had a team that was scrapping like crazy to try to stay alive and get in the postseason,” he said. “So, obviously, we’re all disappointed. Came up just short. The game kind of played out how we thought it was going to play out in terms of how we were going to win the game. Kind of one of those grind-it-out kind of games, and we didn’t find a way to get it done, that’s the bottom line.”

Rivers said that both sides of the ball played well. He praised kicker Blake Grupe for showing up in key situations, and praised his pass-catchers for coming up clutch as well.

Despite throwing an interception on the Colts’ final possession that ultimately set up the Seahawks’ game-winning field goal, he noted that the offense controlled the ball and was able to drive on the Hawks’ 4th-ranked defense.

Noting that he had only had three days of practice, he promised to get better, while also recognizing the time crunch to start winning, with only three weeks left before the end of the regular season.

With his trademark sidearm throwing motion, Rivers put up a respectable stat line for his first outing in roughly 1,800 days. He went 18 of 27 passing for 120 yards and a touchdown, with the interception in what he called “desperation mode” at the end of the game.

His arm had clearly lost some zip, putting several of his passes in danger of being intercepted and his receivers into difficult positions, but he also displayed the ability to diagnose defenses pre-snap that only comes with 17 years of NFL experience.

His touchdown to wide receiver Josh Downs came with just over 90 seconds to play in the first half. On 3rd down and 4 from the Seattle 8-yard line, Rivers dropped back and found Downs running a drag route with a step on cornerback Josh Jobe.

“Yeah, I mean, it was exciting. Shoot, it was exciting to take a 13-3 lead.”

And the TD came in an absolutely perfect situation.

“We kind of had [that play] up all week in the red zone, in that area, on that down and distance, on that hash,” Rivers said. “We practiced in the exact same spot this week. So, when things come up like that, they fire you up. Obviously, you throw in the fact that it’s been 1,800 days since I’ve thrown a touchdown, or an interception for that matter. So, we got both those box checks.”

Rivers was sacked once and hit four times. But he didn’t mind. In fact, he told reporters it energized him.

“I never minded that part of it,” he said. “My wife always tells me I’m crazy, ‘cause there’s been times in the last three or four years I said, ’I kind of wish I could just throw one and get hit, hard,‘ and she’s like, ’that’s not normal.’ So I didn’t mind that part ... kind of got me going in the game. It actually didn’t feel too far off. It was kind of crazy how normal it felt once we got going in the game.”

Rivers has been coaching football at St. Michael Catholic High School in Decatur, Alabama, since 2021. His players gathered to watch him play, and erupted in loud cheers when he threw the touchdown pass.

The veteran QB said he was not going out of his way to impress his young players, but he hoped it would leave an impression nonetheless.

“I know it comes with it, I know it is a story, and I know it is rare and all those things, but I didn’t do that,” he said. “I was enjoying myself down there being a coach in South Alabama ... Sometimes there is doubt, and it’s real, and the guaranteed safe bet is to go home, or to not go for it. And the other one is, ’shoot, let’s see what happens.' I hope that in that sense that it can be a positive to some young boys or young people. It doesn’t have to be boys.”