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Seahawks could face Philip Rivers as Colts reportedly giving QB tryout

Bob Condotta, The Seattle Times on

Published in Football

SEATTLE — As the Indianapolis Colts come to Seattle for a game against the Seahawks on Sunday at Lumen Field, they are facing significant questions about their quarterback position following the loss of starter Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury.

In exploring their options to salvage a season that began with such promise, the Colts are reportedly considering signing 44-year old Philip Rivers, who last played in the NFL in 2020 with the Colts. Before that he spent 16 seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers.

The NFL Network reported Monday afternoon that the Colts will bring in Rivers for a tryout on Tuesday and could sign him to the practice squad.

The NFL Network reports didn’t rule out that Rivers, recently named a semifinalist for this year’s class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, could see action against the Seahawks, if needed.

Wrote Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network on the social media platform X: “Riley Leonard will start, but Rivers may be an option.’’

Leonard, a rookie sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame, took over when Jones was injured in the first quarter Sunday of Indy’s 36-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was the Colts’ fourth loss in their last five games, dropping them to 8-5 and into a tie for second place in the AFC South behind the Jags.

Leonard also suffered a knee injury during the game, in which he completed 18 of 29 passes for 145 yards in just the second game he has played in his career.

“Yeah, he came in with the knee this morning, so we're working through that right now," Colts coach Shane Steichen told reporters in Indianapolis on Monday morning.

Asked if Leonard will be able to play against the Seahawks on Sunday, Steichen said: “Hopefully, that's the hope. So we'll see how it goes.”

Third-year player Anthony Richardson, who was the fourth overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, battled with Jones for the starting job in the offseason but remains sidelined with an eye injury and is on injured reserve. Steichen said he is not an option for this week.

 

The only other QB on the Colts roster is Brett Rypien, a Spokane, Wash., native and nephew of former Washington State standout Mark Rypien.

Brett Rypien, who played at Boise State, was briefly with the Seahawks in 2023. He has four starts in an NFL career that dates to 2019 but has not thrown a pass in a regular-season game since he got one start for the Rams in 2023.

Rivers has 63,440 passing yards, seventh all time, and as noted by the NFL Network, “has a long history" of working with Steichen, who was the quarterbacks coach and the offensive coordinator with the Chargers when Rivers was the QB there from 2016-19.

Rivers, who turned 44 on Monday, has been working as the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala. His team’s season ended last month.

The NFL Network report stated that the Colts will need to use Tuesday’s tryout to determine whether it’s realistic to expect that Rivers could play.

The NFL Network further stated: “If any free agent quarterback would know Steichen’s offense and be able to hit the ground running, it’s Rivers."

If Leonard were to start it would be the third time in four weeks the Seahawks have faced a rookie quarterback and the second time in three weeks they’d face one making his first start. They also played Tennessee’s Cam Ward in a 30-24 win on Nov. 16 and Minnesota’s Max Brosmer — who was making his first start — in a 26-0 win on Nov. 30.

Rivers is 3-1 all-time in his career against the Seahawks, all with the Chargers.

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© 2025 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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