A youngster compared to elder statesmen Tom Brady and former teammate Drew Brees, Philip Rivers might be multiple seasons from retiring to coach high school football.
That’s the estimation of Colts head coach Frank Reich, who said the 39-year-old Rivers has “multiple years of good football ahead of him.”
Rivers ranks in the top 10 in yards per game (269.8 is ninth) and yards per attempt (7.7, ninth) and is 11th in completion percentage (68.1 percent). The Colts are fifth in the NFL in scoring at 28.6 points per game and ninth in total offense (376.7 yards per game).
“The way he’s playing right now,” Reich said, “we said when we got him here, I said Philip is more than capable (of playing in 2021).”
Rivers signed with Indianapolis as a free agent in March, his first NFL foray in a new uniform since the Chargers landed the North Carolina State quarterback in 2004. At the time, the one-year deal was heralded as a multi-year possibility.
In May, Reich said: “I’m very optimistic it will be a multiple year thing.”
The Colts could have other options, including reuniting Reich with one of his former Philadelphia pupils. Carson Wentz was recently benched by the Eagles and the cap hit is virtually identical for Philadelphia to trade or keep him in 2021. Nick Foles claimed the starting job with the Chicago Bears and is on a multi-year deal but he’s sidelined by yet another injury.
Jacoby Brissett, the Colts’ starter in 2019, is due to hit free agency but likely would be open to coming back as the starting quarterback.
Ultimately, Reich signaled the Colts’ decision at the position might be up to Rivers. Rivers said in his opening press conference with the Colts that he would make a decision on future seasons one year at a time.
“If I feel like I feel right now next year, then I’ll be excited to keep going,” Rivers said in the spring. “Again, depending on how the team feels about that and etc. So, I don’t know, I don’t have a number on it. Like I said, I want to coach my son, my oldest son. I have two boys that are 12 and eight (years old). He’ll be a sixth grader, so we have a little bit of time but that is important to me to coach him in high school. So, if that gives you a little idea. I’m not going to get carried away. I don’t think you’ll see me in the Tom Brady range. But I am excited and feel like I can still help a football team go win a championship.”
