Philip Rivers comes out of retirement, joins Colts practice squad at age 44

Legendary NFL quarterback Philip Rivers is officially coming out of retirement — joining the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad at age 44.

(NBC)- Legendary NFL quarterback Philip Rivers is officially coming out of retirement — joining the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad at age 44, nearly five years after he last played in the league.

“It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours,” Rivers said, holding back emotion as he spoke with reporters. “Each moment that goes by, I feel more and more confident.”

Rivers, an eight-time Pro Bowler, last suited up for the Colts in January 2021. In the years since, he’s become a high school football coach, retired to family life as a father of 10, and — as of this year — a grandfather.

“I wasn’t hanging on any hope of playing again,” he admitted. “I kind of thought that ship had sailed.”

But everything changed this week after Colts starting quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending injury, prompting the team to give Rivers a surprise call. The veteran quarterback said he couldn’t turn down the opportunity.

“When a door opens, you can either find out if you can do it or run from it,” he said. “The only way to find out is going for it.”

Rivers’ comeback underscores just how much time has passed since he first entered the NFL in 2004 — when Patrick Mahomes was 11, Friends had just aired its final episode, and a college student named Mark Zuckerberg launched a website called “Facebook.”

Now, Rivers steps back onto the field as an underdog, grateful for a second shot at the sport he loves. “If it’s all over tomorrow, will you be glad you went through all this? Heck yeah! It was awesome.”

For now, Rivers is practicing — but if he sees game action this Sunday, he would become the oldest active player in the NFL.