The Indianapolis Colts signed Philip Rivers in the days before Week 15, but only to the practice squad. He can be elevated on game days, of course, but his original designation might have implied he would work more as a backup and mentor to rookie Riley Leonard. Leonard played in the last three quarters of Week 14 and was, well...fine.
But the actual narrative might be different. Instead of watching Leonard rise or fall in Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks, Rivers may be the one doing QB1 duty. At least, that is what some practice footage from Wednesday taken by The Athletic's James Boyd implies.
In practice at least, Rivers was the first in the pecking order of the quarterback rotation, followed by Leonard, who was then followed by Brett Rypien. Rypien was signed to the active roster on Wednesday after spending some of the season on Indy's practice squad.
Practice footage implies the Indianapolis Colts might see Philip Rivers as QB1
In an odd twist, the only quarterback currently on the Colts' practice squad was getting the first reps in practice while the two quarterbacks on the active roster were behind him. That makes sense. Sort of.
The truth is that Rivers doesn't appear to be in elite playing shape. He couldn't be. He has been retired for five years and never expected to play again. He is not in bad shape, of course, but not exactly in NFL shape. How well he holds up against an elite Seahawks defense is anyone's guess, but pessimism would be expected.
Leonard and Rypien might be no better options, however. Leonard can run well, but his accuracy is not exactly perfect yet. Rypien has bounced around the league and lacks arm strength and great decision-making.
#Colts QBs Philip Rivers, Riley Leonard and Brett Rypien throwing. The order has been Rivers, Leonard and Rypien so far in every drill. pic.twitter.com/CV7wgzLWSL
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) December 10, 2025
Rivers likely knows head coach Shane Steichen's system as the two reportedly spoke weekly this season. Rivers played under Steichen when both played for the Los Anges Chargers, and have remained friends. The quarterback coached high school football and ran Steichen's system.
In other words, Philip Rivers does know how to run the Indianapolis Colts' offense mentally, but whether he can run it physically isn't yet known. Based on the practice footage, the recently retired quarterback might get a great chance to prove he can still play in Week 15 versus the Seahawks.