Philip Rivers’ unexpected return to the NFL has generated a lot of frenzy in the football world. Amid the injury crisis in the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback room, the franchise opted to bring the NFL icon out of retirement after almost five years and sign him to the practice squad.

While Rivers’ return to the league is intriguing, not many see it working out of the Colts. The Athletic spoke to a couple of NFL executives, who were granted anonymity, on the dramatic late-season move. Not a single one of them had confidence in the veteran quarterback.

“Fun story, but I think it’s going to be a disaster,” an NFL executive said

Another executive cited the difficulty of the Colts’ schedule as the season winds up as a big reason Philip Rivers can’t get the job done. The Indianapolis Colts are scheduled to face the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.

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“Looking at their schedule, it’s not going to work,” another NFL executive said. “They have a tough road with really good defenses. Philip is a sitting duck.”

Philip Rivers hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2020. However, with Daniel Jones out of the season with a torn Achilles and Riley Leonard dealing with a sore knee, the franchise had few choices.

Quarterback greats react to Philip Rivers’ return to the NFL

A host of current and former NFL quarterbacks have reacted to the Indianapolis Colts’ strange decision to sign Philip Rivers out of retirement. Tom Brady had a hilarious reaction to it in his appearance on “The Herd” on Thursday.

“Who retires, then unretires, and ultimately retires again. Who does that? It’s ridiculous,” Brady said. “Good for him. I’m happy he’s doing it,” he added. “I’m very excited to watch Philip play, because if he’s out there, it’s really cool. It speaks to how much he loves the game.”

Aaron Rodgers, who gets displaced by Rivers as the oldest player in the NFL, also made a hilarious comment on the move in his media availability on Thursday. He also shared what he would have done if he had gotten a similar offer while retired.

“Well, I’m not the oldest guy in the league. Love that,” Rodgers said. “It’s pretty incredible, though. He’s been out for four full seasons, plus this season. I was laughing because a couple of buddies hit me up asking me what I would do in that situation, and I said, without missing a beat, ‘I’m retired, I’m staying retired.’”

Philip Rivers is one of the 26 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. However, if the Colts activate him to the 53-man roster, it resets his Hall of Fame eligibility clock, pushing his Canton case back another five years.