The Indianapolis Colts decided they needed to take a risk that likely no other team would do after starting quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14 last season. Instead of relying on rookie Riley Leonard in the last four games, Indy brought back long-retired Philip Rivers.
In an interview with Ari Meirov recently, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter likely summed up the reaction of football fans everywhere when he said, "crazy" about the team signing Rivers. But Cooter admitted that the experiment was "fun."
Cooter said, "Shane and Philip go way back. Shane stayed in touch with Philip; they’re connected back 10, 15 years. Ideas were being thrown out. We sort of batted a few around, and we kind of looked at each other and said, ‘How crazy is this?’... Philip did a little workout, threw the ball around, and it was fun to be with him for a few weeks."
Jim Bob Cooter addresses the Indianapolis Colts' risky move of bringing Philip Rivers back in 2025
This can be viewed in different ways. One is that while the team had no faith in Leonard to replace Jones, even though the rookie had a much stronger arm and ability to move than Rivers, the Colts probably would have been smarter to go with Leonard.
This was implied by how well the 2025 sixth-round pick played in Week 18 against the Houston Texans, especially for the fact that the Texans played most of their defensive starters in the first half. Leonard offered Indianapolis the kind of explosiveness the team didn't have with the high-IQ but weak-armed Rivers.
Starting Leonard after signing Rivers would have taken a confident head coach, but as Rivers and Steichen had such a long relationship, the coach chose friendship over what might have been best for the team.
Yes, Philip Rivers knew Shane Steichen's offensive system extremely well, and he knew how to check off and change plays, but he no longer had the physical ability at 44 years old to run the scheme well after the play had been called or changed. Leonard did.
Teams knew they could crowd the line of scrimmage with Rivers at quarterback, as he wasn't going to beat them throwing the ball down the field. This greatly limited what the Indianapolis Colts could do.
Secondly, some Colts fans might have an issue with Cooter saying the team had some "fun" weeks with Rivers at quarterback. Indy fans were hoping for the playoffs after starting 7-1, and the team didn't win a game with Rivers behind center. Fans didn't have fun. Their favorite team was losing.
The Colts simply don't seem to have the leadership in place, as far as coaching, to build a winning culture. Jim Bob Cooter further proved that by calling what the Philip Rivers situation truly was: "crazy."
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