Seventeen-year NFL veteran signed to practice squad deal after leading son Gunner, Cardinals to Alabama Class 4A semifinals.
Head coach Philip Rivers led
St. Michael Catholic (Fairhope, Ala.) to a deep Class 4A postseason run and now the 44-year-old hopes to do the same as quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.
He worked out with the team on Monday, the day after
he turned 44, and signed on Tuesday as a practice squad player. He becomes the oldest active
player in the NFL.
The eight-time Pro Bowl signal-caller is an insurance policy as the Colts deal with a spate of quarterback injuries. Starter Daniel Jones tore his Achilles on Sunday and is out for the year. Riley Leonard also suffered a knee injury on Sunday, leaving his availability in doubt. This follows an orbital fracture to their other quarterback Anthony Richardson earlier in the year. The Colts travel to 10-3 Seattle on Sunday.
On the prep gridion this season, Rivers' squad went 13-1 and reached the state semifinals as his son
Gunner Rivers, a junior, threw for 3,176 yards and 46 touchdowns. The younger Rivers is a four-star prospect, according to 247Sports, and has offers from Auburn, Boston College, Miami, North Carolina State and South Carolina.
Rivers, who is a grandfather, last played in 2020 when he threw for 4,169 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Colts. Prior to that, he'd spent 16 seasons with the Chargers, throwing for more than 60,000 yards and nearly 400 touchdowns.
The leap back to the NFL for high school football coaches isn't unique as Teddy Bridgewater signed with the Detroit Lions for their short postseason run in 2024 after leading
Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) to a Class 3A title.
