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stephen holder
philip rivers‘The comeback story remains on schedule.
Newly retired quarterback expected to start indianapolis colts on sunday against Seattle SeahawksA source confirmed this to ESPN. The Colts promoted him from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster on Saturday, making him eligible to play.
Rivers, who retired after the 2020 season and last played a playoff game in January 2021, came out of retirement this week to help the Colts deal with their quarterback situation. Daniel Jones‘ Season-ending Achilles injury.
The 44-year-old Rivers was originally signed to the practice squad, meaning he was required to be added to the official roster before playing.
His inclusion on the roster means Rivers will move up from being a semifinalist for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class and will not be eligible again until 2031.
On Friday, Colts coach Shane Steichen was reluctant to name the starter, but he made it clear the trend was toward Rivers starting in his first game in more than 1,800 days against a talented Seattle defense.
“I would say it was pretty good,” Steichen said of Rivers’ practices this week. “For a guy who hasn’t been there in five years to go this week and see the way he practiced was pretty impressive.”
Steichen said Friday he planned to meet with Rivers for a final check-in after practice to make sure his throwing arm and legs could handle the sudden return well.
The Colts tried their best to simulate game situations in practice, but it only went so far.
“You try to do it in practice as best you can,” Steichen said. “Obviously, the game is a little different. The pace of the game will be a little different for him, so it’ll be an adjustment period for him if he’s there.”
The Colts have tried to balance the buzz generated by Rivers’ return and the energy it has created in their locker room with some realistic expectations.
“He’s not here to save the season,” Steichen said. “He’s here to be a great leader, a great teammate, go out there, operate the offense, get us in and out of the right plays. And that’s the process, and that’s the way he’s taken it, going with it one day at a time.”
NFL Network first reported that Rivers was expected to start Sunday.
