Philip Rivers signed a one-year contract worth $25 million to play quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts next season. Rivers, an eight-time Pro Bowler, said goodbye to the LA Chargers after 16 seasons with the franchise (13 in San Diego, and the last 3 in Los Angeles) to test the free-agent waters.
Rivers had been linked to Tampa Bay and Miami, but in the end, the Indianapolis Colts won out. Tom Brady went to Tampa Bay, and who the heck knows what Miami is doing.
Andrew Luck retired from the Colts at the end of the 2019 preseason due to numerous injuries. The Colts turned to backup Jacoby Brissett, who did an excellent job on short notice. However, the Colts and Brissett suffered a bad beat when he went down with a knee injury in Week 9. He wasn’t the same for the rest of the season, and the Colts missed out on the AFC playoff bubble.
Who is Philip Rivers?
Age: 38
Hometown: Athens, AL
College: NC State
Team(s): San Diego/LA Chargers
Seasons: 16
TDs: 397
Yards: 59,271
INTs: 198
Since becoming a starter in 2006, Rivers earned a reputation as one of the game’s most durable players and didn’t miss a single game for the Chargers in 14 seasons.
Rivers threw 30 or more touchdowns six times in his career. In 2008, Rivers threw a career-high 34 touchdowns against only 11 interceptions. In 2018, he tossed 32 touchdowns and proved he still had gas in the tank.
With the addition of Rivers, the Indianapolis Colts saw their 2021 Super Bowl odds improve from 33/1 to 28/1, according to William Hill.
Luck > Brissett > Rivers
What a difference seven months makes. At the end of August, Andrew Luck made the difficult decision to retire. His body took an insane pounding in Indianapolis and he decided it was time to step away from the game.
Brissett became one of many understudies and backups that stepped up for injured starters last season. Several teams saw their high-priced talent succumb to injuries. Brissett joined Gardner Minshew and Teddy Bridgewater as backups who came off the bench to keep their teams competitive.
In the case of the Colts, they suffered a major setback once Brissett went down. His stats were subpar in the second half of the season, but everyone knows he played hurt.
The Colts were non-committal to Brissett at the end of the 2019 season.
Instead, they turned to old man Rivers. He has a cannon of an arm and will never back down when it comes to trash-talking with an opponent.
Rivers Top 5?
The Indianapolis Colts decided to gamble on Rivers, a quarterback that’s inching toward 40-years old. But he’s also a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback that’s closing in on 400 career touchdown strikes.
Rivers currently sits in sixth place on the all-time touchdown list with 397 TDs. Only five players in the history of the NFL have slung 420 or more touchdowns: Dan Marino, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees.
All-Time TD Leaders
1. Drew Brees 547 *
2. Tom Brady 541 *
3. Peyton Manning 539
4. Brett Favre 508
5. Dan Marino 420
6. Philip Rivers 397 *
7. Eli Manning 366
8. Aaron Rodgers 364 *
* Active player
Only four quarterbacks have reached the exclusive 500 TD Club (Brees, Brady, Peyton Manning, and Favre), and two of them are still playing (Brees and Brady).
Rivers has no legit shot at 500 unless he pulls a Brady and plays until he’s 44. However, Rivers could secure the rare 400 TD marker by the second game of the 2020 season.
Rivers is also 23 touchdowns away from tying Dan Marino, who tossed a heady 420 touchdowns in his career. If he can throw 24 next season, Rivers would pass Marino to move into the Top 5 for touchdown leaders.
In his personal life, Rivers is a devout Catholic, which is why he and his wife have nine children. He’s also a lover of bolo ties.
