Philip Rivers linked with another sensational NFL return as cameo alerts Colts’ rivals

Philip Rivers’ three-game cameo as the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts has seen him emerge as a head coach candidate.

Rivers came out of a five-year retirement to try and salvage the Colts’ season after Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending Achilles tear.

Getty

The Colts, spearheaded by Jones and Jonathan Taylor got off to an incredible 8-2 start to the 2025 NFL season, but the wheels fell off when they came out of the bye-week, where they have since been on a six-game skid.

With injuries plaguing the Colts’ quarterback room, head coach Shane Steichen boldly turned to 44-year-old Rivers, who had played his last down of football in 2020, to see if he would put his high school head coaching job temporarily on hold to have one last dance as an NFL quarterback.

Despite his return drawing a plethora of criticism, the father of 10 and grandad showed that class was permanent, throwing for 544 yards and four touchdowns in his three outings, albeit the Colts went 0-3.

Rivers got teary-eyed and emotional in his postgame interview following Indianapolis’ 23-17 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars, which had many believing his NFL fairytale was over after he was benched for rookie quarterback Riley Leonard at the end of the game and for Week 18.

But not so fast.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that there is a “real chance” that Rivers could return to the league once again, but this time as a head coach.

“Several sources say Rivers could end up as a head coach candidate this cycle and the current belief is that Rivers gets at least one opportunity to interview, possibly more,” Rapoport wrote.

“Only two teams currently have head coach openings — the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans — though that number is expected to grow after Sunday.

“Sources say that teams have been doing research on Rivers as a candidate and making background calls. That happened last year, as well.

“Rivers previously has never been willing to engage — not with college or NFL teams — but his dramatic return to the NFL in December might have sparked his interest.”

Getty

Getty

With Black Monday approaching, there are many head coaches that could find themselves without a job, including Mike Tomlin, Pete Carroll and Kevin Stefanski.

Therefore, additional opportunities could open up for Rivers, should he wish to pursue a coaching gig on football’s biggest stage.

Mixed response to reports Rivers could become an NFL head coach

Amid the report that Rivers could be a potential head coach candidate, fans and sports media figures alike flocked to social media to express their opinions on this.

College GameDay co-host and former All-Pro Colts punter Pat McAfee tweeted out on X (formerly Twitter), “I LOVE THIS.”

Other fans were in agreement, citing Rivers’ competitiveness and passion for the game still prevalent in his NFL return.

“His passion is contagious. Players would run through a brick wall for him,” another fan wrote, whilst a third commented, “Rivers was basically a coach on the field for years, especially with how he ran offenses and mentored QBs.”

Getty

But others questioned this, not just because Rivers has spoken very highly of his current high school job with his sons due to join the team next year, but also because he has never coached collegiate level or higher.

“I would be extremely surprised if Rivers even considered this. He seems to enjoy his HS gig and has already said he’s excited to coach his sons this next season. Maybe after his sons graduate maybe but he seems to be enjoying the quite life of retirement,” one fan wrote.

“Just like that with no buffer position in between? Great guy, great player, but going from kids to men seems like a huge leap,” a second commented.

A third fan even went as far to question the NFL’s hiring process, posting, “From reading defenses on the fly to teaching grown men accountability.

“Rivers going from HS sidelines to NFL headsets would either be genius… or expose how broken the NFL coaching pipeline really is. There’s no in-between.”

Whether Rivers becomes a candidate for any potential vacancies remains to be seen, though his return to the gridiron after five seasons seemed an unbelievable possibility, until it happened.

Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.