Over four years after his last snap, Philip Rivers has been elevated from the Indianapolis Colts practice squad to the team's active roster to start against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Following Daniel Jones being ruled out for the season with a torn Achilles, the Colts have since announced Rivers has been signed to the active roster from the practice squad.
Rivers flew in for a workout with the team on Monday - his 44th birthday - signed to the practice squad on Tuesday and will be officially elevated on Saturday.
With his signing to the active roster, Rivers, recently named a Hall of Fame modern-era semi-finalist, will lose his eligibility to be voted in during this cycle. His waiting period will now reset to five years from the end of his final season.
Rivers previously took his last NFL snap on January 9 2021, turning in an excellent showing in the Colts' 27-24 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills with 309 yards and two touchdowns. His TD tosses were to Jack Doyle and Zach Pascal - neither is currently on an NFL roster.
Rivers' shocking comeback is equal parts feel-good story and an underscoring of the desperation of the Colts, who have slid from a surprising 7-1 start to a team on the playoff bubble after three straight losses without a healthy quarterback on the roster.
Starter Jones tore his Achilles on Sunday and is out for the season; his replacement, rookie Riley Leonard, is dealing with a knee injury, and backup Anthony Richardson remains on injured reserve with a broken orbital.
Your Site NFL's Phoebe Schecter told the Inside the Huddle podcast: "Seeing Rivers coming back is so exciting for some people. It would be phenomenal if he was elevated to their active roster and manage to guide the Colts to a win.
"You can see why he has come back; it's why teams bring Joe Flacco back all the time, because you want someone who is trustworthy and someone who is going to give a bit of life offensively.
"The Colts are no longer able to rely on the defense like they used to, so you can see why he's come back.
"It says a lot that we cannot find anybody else in the league currently playing. What is the NFL doing, what does it say about development that the Colts would rather revisit history and bring back a quarterback that doesn't fit the modern-day mould anymore?
"We don't have the likes of Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady, guys that stand in the pocket, so Rivers is a blast from the past. But we're probably not in a great spot with our young quarterbacks and their development."
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