What Philip Rivers told Colts teammates after stunning NFL return

One day after 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers ended his retirement and joined the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad, he addressed his teammates ahead of a midweek practice. 

Rivers' comments offered a boost to a club that has endured a difficult stretch since its Week 11 bye.

Philip Rivers not taking return to NFL for granted

"He said, 'You know what? I think for most people you always know what this game comes to, and at some point I thought it'd be over,'" Colts center Tanor Bortolini said about Rivers' remarks, per Stephen Holder of ESPN. "'So, it's pretty cool to be back. And I don't take this for granted at all.' You just know that he's going to give everything he has."

Rivers hasn't taken an in-game snap since he last featured for the Colts during the 2020 season, but he is now on track to start when 8-5 Indianapolis plays at the 10-3 Seattle Seahawks this coming Sunday. Head coach Shane Steichen gave Rivers a call because the Colts had no healthy quarterbacks on their active roster. Daniel Jones (season-ending torn Achilles tendon) and Anthony Richardson Sr. (orbital fracture) are out indefinitely, while rookie Riley Leonard is attempting to recover from a strained knee ligament.

Journeyman Brett Rypien began the week on the Colts' practice squad and may serve as Rivers' backup against the Seahawks.  

Rivers wants Colts to embrace "why not us" mentality

The Colts trail the 8-5 Houston Texans in the chase for the AFC's final wild-card playoff spot due to Houston's Week 13 win over Indianapolis. Those two teams will face off again in Week 18. 

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Colts as 13.5-point underdogs against the Seahawks. At that same time, the ESPN Football Power Index gave the Colts a 25.5% chance to make the playoffs. 

"He said, 'We've got a pretty good record now,'" guard Matt Goncalves said about Rivers' message to the team. "He said, 'Why not us?' Basically, he said to keep our heads up because anything can happen."

What was once a 7-1 Indianapolis team has lost three straight games and four of its last five. Running back Jonathan Taylor indicated that Rivers' presence could help the Colts reclaim at least some of their prior form. 

"Being able to kind of have some of that energy that we had beforehand, I think that it was really nice, and I think that we're going to continue to use that," Taylor explained. "Obviously, we have to go and execute out at practice and make sure it translates on Sunday. But just from an energy, a vibe, a juice standpoint, I think it was really good."