Colts may have viewed Philip Rivers as an option before Daniel Jones injury

Roughly two days after the Indianapolis Colts lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending torn Achilles tendon, reports revealed that 44-year-old signal-caller Philip Rivers was ending his retirement to join the Colts' practice squad. 

The Colts reportedly plan to start Rivers when they play at the 10-3 Seattle Seahawks this coming Sunday. For a piece published on Wednesday morning, Stephen Holder and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN detailed how the most shocking in-season signing in recent NFL history came to be.

Had Philip Rivers' return to Colts, NFL been coming? 

According to Holder and Fowler, one Colts source believes that "the possibility of Rivers as an emergency option was at least an informal thought among some in the building once" first-choice backup Anthony Richardson Sr. suffered an orbital fracture during a pregame warmup ahead of Indianapolis' Week 6 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Richardson hasn't played since, and it's unknown if he'll return to the active roster this season. 

Rookie Riley Leonard replaced Jones during the Colts' 36-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14, but Leonard is now considered week-to-week with a strained knee ligament. The Colts had journeyman Brett Rypien on their practice squad before the Rivers news broke, but it now seems that Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen would prefer to go with Rivers. 

Rivers previously had Steichen as his offensive coordinator when the two were with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

How Philip Rivers looked in workout with Colts 

Per Holder and Fowler, Rivers completed a workout with the Colts on Monday night that "consisted of the standard fare, like most of the things quarterbacks would encounter in a game: throwing on the move, run-pass options and throwing the entire route tree." 

Holder and Fowler added that "team officials came away impressed with Rivers' arm" and believe the veteran who hasn't played in an NFL game since the 2020 season "can still spin it." 

One Colts source pointed out that Rivers "needs to get in football shape." 8-5 Indianapolis needs more than just a body at the sport's most important position, as the club trails the 8-5 Houston Texans in the battle for the AFC's final wild-card playoff spot due to Houston's Week 13 win over the Colts. 

Rivers now has a few days to prove that he won't embarrass himself or the Colts at Seattle's Lumen Field. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Indianapolis as a 13.5-point underdog for that game.