ESPN star blasts ‘incompetent and irresponsible’ Colts over Philip Rivers as real reason for return emerges

Philip Rivers is very much in line to feature in the NFL for the first time in five years on Sunday.

The 44-year-old quarterback has come out of retirement to try and salvage the Colts’ 2025 regular season following a season-ending Achilles injury to Daniel Jones.

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After just one week of practice under his belt following a successful workout on his 44th birthday, Rivers, who retired after the 2020 season after 17 years in the NFL, Colts head coach Shane Steichen was left impressed.

“He’s got great command in the huddle. He was throwing it well,” Steichen said.

“So we’re excited for it. He’s fired up for the challenge, getting back into it, getting back in the fold feeling the pass rush. Got some good work in that.”

Steichen has yet to confirm whether he will start Rivers on Sunday against the 10-3 Seattle Seahawks, with rookie backup Riley Leonard currently dealing with a PCL injury.

But ESPN analyst and former NFL safety Ryan Clark is of the belief that putting Rivers under center against one of the league’s best defenses this season is ‘irresponsible.’

“I think Shane Steichen is an offensive genius, I truly do,” Clark said on Friday’s broadcast of First Take. “I think the way that Shane Steichen has manipulated this offense with Daniel Jones at the quarterback position this year has been absolutely phenomenal.

“But I believe this is foul. I believe this is incompetent. And I also believe it is irresponsible. This is not Michael Jordan coming back to play basketball after three years off for the Washington Wizards.

“This is a man in Phillip Rivers who was always a stationary target taking five years off to coach high school football and then come back to play against the Seattle Seahawks, who would get after your keester if you were freaking Michael Vick.

“The one thing that Riley Leonard can do, because I watched him do it for 15 games last year, is get out of the way.

“If you watched the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, he was able to use his legs, scramble, hit Alec Pierce. He had a late touchdown drive in that game.

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“He’s been there the entire season. By the way, the last five years – he’s been playing football. He’s been working out. He’s been preparing to be an NFL quarterback. Philip Rivers has not.”

Rivers’ former teammate speaks out

Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Cam Newton revealed that he felt that not being contacted by the Colts, but the team contacting Rivers was a ‘slap to my face’ due to him being eight years younger.

But amid all the speculation over whether Rivers will play or not, which would affect his Hall of Fame eligibility status, the quarterback’s former long-time teammate Quentin Jammer has spoken out on why he was the perfect fit for the Colts role.

“Yall realize Steichen ran our scout team offense against us everyday at practice while Phillip was a young charger,” Jammer posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

“And they were together the majority of Phil’s career! It’s literally got nothing to do with Cam at all. Phil is plug and play.”

Jammer played with Rivers for 10 years at the San Diego Chargers (now known as the LA Chargers), with Steichen having been a part of the Chargers’ coaching staff from 2011-12 and then from 2014-20.

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Indy suffer steep decline

20. Indianapolis Colts (8-5)

The Colts are barely hanging in the top 20 after losing Daniel Jones to injury.

Indy always seemed too good to be true in 2025.

That’s definitely the case after Jones tore his Achilles and ruined a perfect Hollywood script.

And a 44-year-old Philip Rivers probably isn’t winning the Colts’ first Super Bowl since Peyton Manning owned Indy.

Check out talkSPORT’s Super Bowl power rankings here

The veteran helped the franchise settle after relocation but couldn’t mastermind a long postseason run,

“I think Philip Rivers had a Hall of Fame career,” Clark also added on Friday. “I don’t believe he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer, but when you walked into a stadium to play Philip Rivers, you had to tighten up your chinstrap because you knew he was gonna compete.

“If I’m the Seattle Seahawks, I wanna see him move off the spot and I want to see it from every point that he passes the football. I don’t give a care about how much you hand it to [Jonathan] Taylor. I don’t care how great you think your defense could play.

“Philip Rivers should not be starting this game. If he comes out and he plays well and he stays healthy, I’m not gonna retract this statement because it is a bad decision to put him out there.

“If somebody called me after five years and say ‘you can play’, I might try to give them a play too. Philip ain’t wrong. Shane Steichen and the Colts are.”

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