Yes. Philip Rivers has come out of retirement and returned to the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts.

Quick Scoop

Philip Rivers originally retired after the 2020 season, officially announcing the end of his 17-year NFL career in January 2021. In July 2025 he signed a one-day contract to ceremonially retire as a member of the Chargers, the team where he became a franchise legend.

In December 2025, Rivers reversed course on that retirement status and agreed to return to football with the Indianapolis Colts. At 44 years old, he joined the Colts’ practice squad with the expectation that he could be elevated to the active roster, potentially as soon as a late-season game in a tight playoff race.

Why he came back

  • The Colts lost their starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles injury while still in the AFC playoff hunt, creating an urgent need for an experienced veteran.
  • Rivers had stayed in football as a high school coach and had kept himself in good enough shape that, once “the door opened” in Indianapolis, he felt ready to step back onto an NFL field.

What this means now

  • Rivers’ return effectively ends, or at least pauses, his formal retirement that had been symbolically tied to the Chargers earlier in 2025.
  • Because he is back on an NFL roster, his Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility timeline is expected to reset, pushing potential induction consideration several years further into the future.

Bottom line: if you’re asking “did Philip Rivers come out of retirement,” the answer is yes—he un-retired in December 2025 to rejoin the Colts and gear up for one more run.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.