The Indianapolis Colts signed Philip Rivers ahead of Week 15 and after starting quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14. The starter against the Seattle Seahawks is yet to be known, but it may be rookie Riley Leonard, who took over for Jones in the final three quarters against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rivers was signed to the practice squad, knows Shane Steichen's system well, but whether he is in the proper shape to immediately play in the NFL is not yet known. The issue would be if Leonard cannot play due to a knee injury he suffered against the Jaguars. If the first-year player can't go, maybe Rivers would start.
One thing is certain, however: Brett Rypien, who has played in 11 career games and started four, has no chance. In fact, the expectation should be that Indy will elevate one quarterback from the practice squad, which Rivers and Rybien are both currently on, for Week 15 to the active roster along with Leonard. Rivers will probably be that player.
Brett Rypien clearly has no future with the Indianapolis Colts
In other words, the Colts might have asked themselves after Jones was lost for the season while Anthony Richardson (broken orbital bone) remains on injured reserve, "Do we want to risk Rypien to get any real snaps, or would we rather have literally anyone else behind center?" Rivers was the answer.
If Rypien needed anymore more evidence that the Colts don't trust him, he might have simply listened to Steichen's presser on Monday. The head coach said the team was likely looking at other options, but made a subtle, and likely unintentional, dig at Rypien in terms of the quarterback ever playing.
Shane Steichen said when asked about Rypien potentially starting, "We'll see how it goes. Right now, that'll be the guy that's on our roster. So, we're working through those situations right now."
Ouch. That is far from glowing. Like, well, that is a guy we have on the team, unfortunately, but maybe we shouldn't. Let's look elsewhere, even at a 44-year-old grandfather who hasn't taken a snap in five years and was potentially on the verge of being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
An Indianapolis Colts fan might rightly ask why Brett Rypien is even on the practice squad if the team doesn't trust him, which they clearly don't. Rypien might even be asking that himself. The truth is, he is never going to play in Indy unless something completely awful happens, like every quarterback who ever played was hurt.