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espn
- Stephen joined ESPN in 2022 and covers the Indianapolis Colts and the NFL extensively. Stephen won first place in column writing at the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors contest, and he is a past top-10 winner in explanatory journalism at the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005–2013 and the Colts from 2013 to 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.
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- Jeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league, including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering NFL games. He is a native of Orlando, Florida, who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.
INDIANAPOLIS — philip rivers‘The second act has ended.
indianapolis colts becoming a newbie riley leonard as their starting quarterback for Sunday’s season finale houston texansVeteran Rivers’ run comes to an end after coming out of a five-year retirement, sources told ESPN.
Rivers, a longtime NFL great who retired after one season with the Colts in 2020, rejoined the team earlier this month following a season-ending injury to the starter. Daniel JonesWith a 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson Sr.Even on injured reserve from a previous injury, the Colts had few options left, Coach Shane Steichen, one of Rivers’ closest friends, coaxed Rivers out of retirement because of his in-depth knowledge of the offense and leadership abilities,
But with the Colts out of the playoff race last weekend, the team had to consider whether it’s worth continuing to start the 44-year-old Rivers who isn’t in their future plans. Steichen said this week he is monitoring the situation and plans to talk to Rivers before making a decision. Steichen acknowledged that Rivers had some desire to play.
“Bringing Phillip here and playing here is exactly what he wanted to do,” Steichen said.
He added, “We’re in talks with him to see how it goes. And that’s pretty much what it’s about. Getting a feel for him.”
Rivers said after Sunday’s loss jacksonville jaguars That he will accept any decision of the team. The Colts made the surprise move of signing Rivers in a desperate attempt to make the postseason. They were in the AFC playoff race when Jones got injured and took a flyer on Rivers, knowing they would need consistent quarterback play to stay there.
Indianapolis went 0-3 with Rivers under center, but he certainly gave their offense a fighting chance. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but Rivers was capable, completing 63% of his pass attempts (58 of 92) for 544 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Phillips was a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 before retiring. Now he will not be eligible for reconsideration until 2031.
Leonard, a sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame, will make his first career start against a dreadful Texans defense.
The possibility of Leonard starting Sunday, Steichen said, “will be good for his development.”
Richardson, who is recovering from an orbital fracture and an injury to his right eye, has returned in recent weeks but is still on injured reserve. He is not expected to be active before Sunday.
It’s unclear what the quarterback depth chart will be for Sunday’s game. The Colts added a quarterback on Monday seth hennigan For their practice squad. He spent four weeks on the Jaguars’ practice squad earlier this season and, theoretically, could be added to the active roster for Sunday’s game.
