Philip Rivers’ 3-Game Comeback Attempt Ends with Colts Starting Rookie Riley Leonard In Season Finale

44-year-old Philip Rivers made a sensational comeback to football five years after retiring as the Indianapolis Colts' QB.

Philip Rivers’ 3-Game Comeback Attempt Ends with Colts Starting Rookie Riley Leonard In Season Finale

Riley Leonard to take over as Colts QB from Philip Rivers (Image via Around the NFL/Bleacher Report/X)

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When Philip Rivers decided to come out of retirement and play for the Indianapolis Colts again, many felt it was absurd, considering he had not played in the league for five years.

Daniel Jones‘ untimely season-ending Achilles tear complicated matters for a franchise that was still in the playoff hunt after starting the campaign with a stellar 8-2 record. Jones even handed over his No. 17 jersey for the 44-year-old to use, and he started off his comeback with a bang. However, the Colts lost to the Seattle Seahawks and have not come close to winning any game since.

It was, anyway, a daunting task for the father of ten to return after a five-year hiatus and slot back in to a team hoping to make it to the postseason. But no one expected the struggle to come to a point where now he will be benched.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed that the Colts have decided to promote 6th-round rookie Riley Leonard to take over Philip Rivers’ place as their starting quarterback for the season finale against the Houston Texans.

If the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish QB plays the entire game, it will be possibly the final time football fans get to see Philip Rivers in a jersey. This time, he will probably not be playing a single snap and will act as a mentor and backup to a rookie.

Philip Rivers’ Hall of Fame bid to take a lot longer

When Philip Rivers retired after the 2020 season, he immediately became eligible to be a candidate for a Pro Football Hall of Fame nomination sometime after 2025.

The rules require five years to pass for a former player to be considered as a candidate. Now, after coming out of retirement, the Alabama native’s Hall of Fame bid will have to wait another five years.

It’s a real honor to be mentioned with those other 25 guys, certainly. But I’m not holding my breath on that, and I hadn’t been counting down the years. With all respect to the Hall— and if one day I can be part of that group, it will be special, no question about it.

Philip Rivers said ahead of his season debut

The signal caller reiterated that his Hall of Fame timeline did not factor into his decision to come back with the Indianapolis Colts, as he wanted to go after an opportunity that he liked.

He knows he will have to wait, but has no qualms about losing out on possibly being inducted either in 2026, when he was one of the 26 semi-finalists, or later.

Colts will get the chance to see if Riley Leonard is worth their time

When the Indianapolis Colts selected Riley Leonard in the past NFL draft, the idea was that he would be another young prospect in case Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones struggle.

Riley Leonard will face a tough debut against Texans
Riley Leonard will face a tough debut against Texans (Image via Colts on SI/X)

The latter turned out to be a savior, after his resurgent season was a big reason the franchise vaulted from being an afterthought to a possible playoff team. Had Jones not struggled with injuries even before his Achilles tear, the team might have gone all the way with him and not even looked at giving Riley Leonard a chance.

Instead, now they are going to take a look at whether their 6th-round investment in the rookie was worth it. He will go up against the Houston Texans defense that just threw the kitchen sink at Justin Herbert.

However, that test will prove if the 23-year-old deserves to hold on to his backup QB role next season when, hopefully, Jones and Richardson will be back healthy.

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