The unexpected swan song of Philip Rivers’s career might have come to a close on Sunday afternoon.
The return of Rivers became one of the most inspiring storylines of the 2025 season. As the Colts heartbreakingly lost resurgent quarterback Daniel Jones to a torn achilles, they turned to the 44-year-old who had not played in the NFL in five years to give them one last shot at the playoffs.
Rivers’s comeback was ultimately not enough to propel the Colts back into postseason position, as a daunting schedule featuring games against the playoff-bound Seahawks, 49ers and Jaguars proved too much to overcome. But Rivers was able to keep Indianapolis competitive in these matchups and gave their second-half collapse a much more enjoyable spin.
The Colts were officially eliminated from postseason contention with the Texans’ win on Saturday, but Rivers still started on Sunday since he received the majority of first-team practice reps during the week. Indianapolis has not decided who will start their season finale against the Texans.
“If this was the last one, shoot, again, I told the guys I wouldn’t have any regrets about coming back— and I don’t,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “Other than us not winning, it’s been an absolute blast for three weeks. If I go back and say, ‘Alright you know everything that’s gonna happen, what are you gonna do? I’d do it all again. It’s been absolutely awesome.”
WATCH: Philip Rivers chokes up talking about having possibly played his last game.
— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) December 28, 2025
"It's been an absolute blast... I'd do it all again." pic.twitter.com/3zqtWGLA4Y
Rivers finished the 23-17 loss to the Jaguars completing 17-of-30 passes for 147 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Through three starts, he has thrown for 544 yards, four touchdowns and three picks, a solid performance for a quarterback who thought his career was done after a wild-card loss to the Bills in the 2020 season.
“I thought the last one was walking off the field in Buffalo, walking out that tunnel, and I was fine with that. I was at peace with that being the last one,” Rivers said with tears in his eyes. “If it is, I got three bonus games that I never saw coming, and I couldn’t be more thankful that I got the opportunity.”
Rivers says he will support whatever choice the Colts decide to make at starting quarterback next week and that this will be his final season. He might not have been able to lead the Colts to the wins they needed, but his comeback touched countless people from his peers on the field, to the fans that grew up watching him and the high school team he coaches.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Philip Rivers Had Bittersweet Message After Making Potential Final NFL Start.
