After a pretty impressive 17-year career, Philip Rivers is retiring from the NFL. The 39-year-old veteran announced it via the San Diego Union-Tribune Wednesday after sitting down with writer Kevin Acee.
“It’s just time,” Rivers said. “It’s just right […] “I can sit here and say, ‘I can still throw it. I love to play.’ But that’s always going to be there. I’m excited to go coach high school football.”
Rivers, a first-round pick of the 2004 NFL Draft, started his career with the San Diego Chargers, who eventually became the Los Angeles Chargers. He spent all but one of his seasons with the franchise after not re-signing with them last season. That led to him joining the Indianapolis Colts in March of 2020 where he led the Colts to a wild-card postseason berth.
Rivers will retire with 63,440 career passing yards, good for fifth in the NFL. He was 5,277-of-8,134 (64.9%) in terms of his completion percentage and also had 421 career touchdowns with 209 picks. Rivers was extremely successful against the Jacksonville Jaguars, acquiring an 8-3 record against them with a 70% completion rate for 3,195 yards and 26 touchdowns.
While River’s retirement marks a sad day for the NFL, it does help the Jags and the rest of the AFC South from a competitive standpoint. With the veteran gone, the Colts’ quarterback situation is uncertain. They have rookie Jacob Eason and fifth-year player Jacoby Brissett, but neither of them worries teams like Rivers did. That said, this offseason will be interesting for Indianapolis, who could turn to the trade market, free-agency, or the draft for an answer.