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Agent's Take: Chris Ballard's Colts tenure might look much different had he made this blockbuster trade
Chris Ballard's Colts tenure might look much different had he made this blockbuster trade
Philip Rivers
QB · FA · 44 yrs · exp 22 · North Carolina State
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Stories linked to this player — newest first.
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With Matthew Stafford's next loss, he ties Vinny Testaverde for the most QB losses ever
Stafford’s record loss streak ties the all‑time mark for quarterback defeats, highlighting the paradox that longevity and talent drive the statistic
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J.J. McCarthy trade: Giants acquire Vikings QB in wake of Jaxon Dart injury
The New York Giants are set to trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy as they attempt to rebuild their signal-caller group in the wake of Jaxson Dart's season-ending injury
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Davante Adams has 195 yards, two TDs as Rams take 21-3 lead
Rams’ star receiver Davante Adams lights up the field with a career‑night performance, while quarterback Matthew Stafford and former starter Philip Rivers also contribute to the dominant win
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Sean Payton says he didn't know about the communication with Drew Brees
On Monday night, a report emerged that multiple Broncos coaches had reached out to retired quarterback Drew Brees about the possibility of joining the Broncos for the AFC Championship after starter Bo Nix suffered a season-ending foot injury. The report overlooked key details, such as Brees no longer being able to throw with his right arm. Most importantly, it ignored the fact that it would have been impossible to sign Brees, since he remains on the Saints’ reserve-retired list. (There’s also a tampering issue arising from the report that then-offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael contacted Brees, presumably without permission from the Saints.) Coach Sean Payton was asked if he had a comment on the report, following the Week 1 loss to the Chiefs. “No, I just know I was the odd man out, and I never heard anything about it, so it never came to anything,” Payton told reporters. “I was only told about it later. I didn’t; I was just like you guys.” Even without Payton directly contacting Brees, a potential tampering issue arises if Lombardi and Carmichael did indeed contact Brees without permission from the Saints. The broader point for any retired player is this: Find a way to get released, so that you can return at any time. That’s why Philip Rivers was able to rejoin the Colts late last year. Placement on the reserve-retired list complicates a potential return to play for another team — especially since he’d have to pass through waivers before signing, if his current team is willing to release him from the reserve-retired list
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Matthew Stafford closing in on Philip Rivers for No. 6 on all-time passing TDs list
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford surpassed Dan Marino for No. 7 on the all-time passing touchdown list late last season. Up next is Philip Rivers. Stafford currently has 423 career touchdown passes, which puts him two behind Rivers, who threw for 425 touchdowns in his career. If Stafford throws three touchdown passes on Thursday night against the 49ers, he’ll have 426 in his career, and he’ll be No. 6 on the all-time list. Stafford has thrown 141 touchdown passes in five years with the Rams after throwing 282 touchdown passes in 12 years with the Lions. Rivers threw 397 touchdown passes in 16 years with the Chargers, then threw 24 more in 2020 with the Colts, then came out of retirement and threw four more touchdown passes in 2025 with the Colts. If Rivers hadn’t come out of retirement last year, Stafford already would have surpassed his total. The Top 5 in passing touchdowns in NFL history are Tom Brady with 649, Drew Brees with 571, Peyton Manning with 539, Aaron Rodgers with 527 and Brett Favre with 508
QB · LAR
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Matthew Stafford closing in on Philip Rivers for No. 6 on all-time passing TDs list
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford surpassed Dan Marino for No. 7 on the all-time passing touchdown list late last season
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The eight milestones Aaron Rodgers could reach during his final NFL season
As Aaron Rodgers enters his final NFL season, he has a chance to reach several notable milestones. He already holds records for touchdown/interception ratio and passer rating, and is tied for the best career passer rating. Rodgers is also on the verge of joining an elite group of quarterbacks with over 70,000 career passing yards, needing 3,726 yards to do so. Despite an Achilles injury in 2023 that likely ended his chance to pass Brett Favre on the all-time passing list, Rodgers is still poised to achieve significant career statistical achievements in his final year
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Philip Rivers, among 128 former NFL players coaching high school football
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
Philip Rivers is one of the 128 former NFL players who are currently high school football head coaches
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Colts assistant G.M. Ed Dodds suggests team will keep Anthony Richardson
The Colts haven’t found a trade partner for fourth-year quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. They possibly won’t be looking for one. Via Stephen Holder of ESPN, Colts assistant G.M. Ed Dodds suggested on Sunday that the team will keep Richardson for the 2026 season, the last of his guaranteed rookie deal. “I think you take care of your own team first,” Dodds said. “We want to have three [quarterbacks] that can play. So, if [Richardson] is one of them, he’s going to be here. . . . Look at last year. You never know.” Last year, starter Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Richardson wasn’t available, due to an orbital bone fracture suffered in a freak locker-room accident with an exercise band. In lieu of letting rookie Riley Leonard finish the year, the Colts cajoled Philip Rivers into returning after more than four seasons of retirement. Richardson, the fourth overall pick in 2023, has already earned a training-camp roster bonus of $4.24 million. He has a guaranteed base salary of $1.145 million for 2026. That’s very cheap, as quarterbacks go. Why not keep him around? The Colts ultimately may need him. And if he gets a chance to play, he’ll have every reason to deliver — he’s due to be a free agent in March
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Anthony Richardson may not win the backup QB job in Indianapolis
The fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft is in danger of landing third on the Indianapolis depth chart. Although the widespread social-media buzz that quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. already has been demoted to No. 3 behind Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard may be premature , at a minimum he’s still competing with Leonard for the QB2 slot. An offseason effort by Richardson and the Colts to find a trade partner went nowhere. With his 2026 compensation ($5.385 million) fully guaranteed, the Colts have no reason to cut him, since they’ll still be paying him. (At most, they’d save $1.145 million if/when he signs elsewhere for the fourth-year minimum salary.) Even if there’s no trade to be done for now, one injury elsewhere could be the spark. Likewise, an injury to Jones or Leonard would elevate his importance to the Colts. That’s why the Colts intend to keep all three into the regular season. With the trade deadline landing the Tuesday after Week 9, there’s still a chance that the Colts could get something of value in return for what has been a failed first-round pick. Richardson entered the NFL as a highly-talented prospect with limited college reps. In three seasons, he has 16 regular-season appearances with 14 starts. The preseason looms large for Richardson. If he performs well, that could generate interest in a trade. At a minimum, it could move him higher on the list of available options if/when a team loses its starter or backup due to injury. For now, the point is this — one year after Richardson lost the starting job in camp to Jones, Richardson could be losing the backup job to Leonard, whose chance to replace Jones as the starter in December was short-circuited by the unretirement of Philip Rivers
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Colts QB Daniel Jones declares himself ready for training camp after recovering from season-ending injury
Daniel Jones is one of several key players coming back from a season-ending injury, and it sounds like his rehab is going just about as well -- and likely even better -- than anyone could have expected. Speaking on "The Pat McAfee Show," Jones said he expects to be "full go" when the Colts open training camp Wednesday, fewer than eight months after tearing his Achilles tendon -- a remarkable feat. "I'm feeling good," Jones said. "Plan is to be back in 11-on-11 full-team drills Wednesday when we start up practice, so be out there with the guys, excited to get back rolling. But feeling good, and rehab's been good to this point -- still some work to do as we get ready for Week 1 -- but feeling really good with where I am." Jones tore his right Achilles Dec. 7 in an eventual Week 14 loss to the Jaguars . At that point, he had been playing through a fracture in his left fibula for several weeks. The Colts were 8-2 entering their bye when the Jones injuries began to pile up. With a hobbled Jones, they lost in Week 12 to the Chiefs and Week 13 to the Jaguars. Jones' Week 14 Achilles tear forced the Colts to turn to rookie Riley Leonard and then 44-year-old Philip Rivers , who had been retired for over four years. The Colts finished 8-9, losing their final seven games. Jones was set to play on the rarely used transition tag this season before agreeing to a two-year, $88 million deal with Indianapolis shortly into free agency. Jones originally joined the Colts on a one-year, $14 million deal to battle Anthony Richardson for the starting spot. Not only did Jones win that battle, but he was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL through 10 weeks, ranking ... As Jones mentioned, there is still a long way to go between now and Week 1, not only in terms of his recovery but also in terms of his ability to play at his previous level. "I think you're constantly evaluating it; it's hard not to compare it [to your previous self]," Jones said. "I think I'm in a really good spot. I can do everything. There's nothing that I can't do. I think there's still that last little bit that you're working to get back, but I feel good in the next month or so as I get into team drills, 11-on-11, doing everything again with that coming back and feeling 100%." Other quarterbacks, such as Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers, have struggled after returning from Achilles tears, but it should be noted that both injuries occurred much later in their careers. Jones is only 29. Still, his comfort working from under center -- as well as how the Colts manage his workload the next few weeks -- will be worth monitoring. The Colts open their season Sept. 13 against the Ravens in Indianapolis
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Does Ty Simpson have potential to surpass Matthew Stafford?
The Los Angeles Rams must feel pretty good about the success of their monumental 2021 trade that swapped Jared Goff and a cache of picks for Matthew Stafford. The move resulted in a Super Bowl championship at the team’s home in SoFi Stadium. Years later Stafford is finding new heights in his career. He just put a bow on his most productive season yet and earned the NFL’s Most Valuable Player honors. Even with things going so well, the Rams understand quarterback is the most important position in football. Stafford’s career continuation is on a year-to-year basis. He could easily decide to call it quits after 2026. LA decided now is the time to prepare for the future. They drafted Ty Simpson with the thirteenth overall pick earlier this spring. There is plenty of time to discern what Simpson brings to the table and whether he’s someone that the Rams can be trusted with the keys as soon as 2027. As training camp approaches, now seems like a good moment to ponder on Simpson’s NFL ceiling. For as good as Stafford is, could Simpson one day surpass him? For most of Stafford’s NFL tenure, he was often the 8th to 12th best quarterback in the league. Many in front of him have hung up their cleats: Peyton Manning , Tom Brady , Drew Brees , Matt Ryan , Philip Rivers , Ben Roethlisberger , Eli Manning , Andrew Luck , and others. The league’s new elite quarterbacks are stylistically very different from those who have come before. There is a significant difference in the way they play the game from what makes Stafford successful. I’m thinking of Patrick Mahomes , Josh Allen , Lamar Jackson , Joe Burrow , Drake Maye , Caleb Williams , Jordan Love , and more. The NFL is in good hands with this emerging crop. But modern professional football almost requires quarterbacks to be able to win with their legs. You can get by with a savvy pocket passer, although in short-yardage and goal line situations you may be leaving meat on the bone if your signal caller can’t pick it up himself. This alone is one of the biggest changes the Rams will see when they one day transition from Stafford to Simpson. And certainly Stafford brings a headiness to his play that is unrivaled by the next generation. His no-look passes and ability to quickly progress through the defense gives Los Angeles a massive inherent advantage. There are tradeoffs for nearly any player teams decide to put under center. At least on the surface the Rams seem to understand where the quarterback position is headed. Simpson fits that bill from a stylistic standpoint. A common draft season knock against both Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson was that they are probably NFL starters but may be not better than mid-tier. Simpson has frequently been compared to Brock Purdy , a former seventh round pick and someone who may never become elite himself. But Simpson has Sean McVay’s seal of approval. That is meaningful for nearly anyone on the offensive side of the ball. While seeing Simpson in such a favorable light does require some hand waving and looking past a small sample size, you can certainly see why the Rams felt he was a fit for their system and that he has the potential to grow into a difference maker. One of the main concerns with Simpson is his frame. He stands 6-1 and weighed 211 lbs. at the NFL scouting combine. That weight is likely significantly heavier than where he played at last season while he was battling gastritis. For example, the below list of quarterbacks have a earned reputation for missing time. Being slight of frame is a real concern. Brock Purdy, 212 lbs JJ McCarthy, 219 lbs Jayden Daniels , 21o lbs Lamar Jackson, 216 lbs Kyler Murray , 207 lbs Joe Burrow, 221 lbs Josh Allen is pushing 240 pounds. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are in the mid-220’s. Even 10 additional pounds may make a big difference in terms of sustaining hits over the course of a season. With an opportunity to observe one of the most savvy passers in football, time to build out his ph [... truncated ...]
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Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer among 128 former NFL players coaching high school football
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
Former NFL players are increasingly transitioning into high school coaching roles, leveraging their experience to mentor young athletes. Notable figures like C.J. Anderson, Jason Ankrah, JoJuan Armour, Don Barclay, Lew Barnes, Nick Barnett, Jason Belser, Tyler Brayton, and Bucky Brooks are among the 128 ex-professionals now leading high school football programs across the country
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Colts What If: What if Andrew Luck never retired?
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
The Colts What If series explores the impact of Andrew Luck's retirement on the franchise
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Arrowhead Pride’s best regular-season games in Chiefs history
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
This article from Arrowhead Pride looks back at some of the Kansas City Chiefs' most memorable regular-season games throughout their history, highlighting specific matchups and key plays that defined eras and showcased star players
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Colts Reacts Survey Results
Colts fans are most interested in the QB2 battle between Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard, with Daniel Jones returning from injury and Philip Rivers' past unretirement adding intrigue to the backup situation
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Adam Schefter believes Joey Bosa has played his last down in the NFL
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
The San Francisco 49ers will be linked to any defensive lineman who is perceived to be available on the market. That goes from Kayvon Thibodeaux to Alex Highsmith to Jalen Carter , and Maxx Crosby . One of the most popular names that’s been tied to the Niners this offseason is Nick Bosa ’s brother, Joey. In late May, Nick said his brother is thinking more about his golf game than the NFL. On his recent podcast , ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared an update about Joey: “It’s more likely than not that Joey Bosa has played his last NFL down. Now again, could a situation like the 40ers come along that entices him enough to come out and play again? Yeah, absolutely. We saw it happen last year with Philip Rivers . So you never know when a player is fully done and when he’s not done. But the fact of the matter is, I think if the Niners wanted to pair those two together, it probably would have happened already. I think if Joey Bosa wanted to play football, it probably would have happened already. And I think he’s perfectly content to sit on the sideline, with all the money he’s made, and not have to go to training camp, not have to put himself into a situation that he doesn’t want to be in, and be highly selective to choose an opportunity to play again — and that’s even if he does that, which I would guess there’s a real chance he doesn’t.” Bosa turns 31 in July. Last year was the first time he appeared in double-digit games since 2021. The 49ers would pursue an edge rusher if Nick or Mykel Williams are behind the 8-ball on their rehab. Some believe Mykel begins the season on the PUP list. If that were the case, a player like Jadeveon Clowney — who is no spring chicken himself at 33 — would make more sense as a replacement for Williams. Clowney has long been a stout run defender, but has shown the ability to consistently get after the quarterback every year, even as he’s eclipsed 30. Clowney is one option. If the door is closed on Bosa, the 49ers have plenty of options. And don’t forget about Romello Height, who would lose reps or playing time if the Niners were to add another pass rusher
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Colts What If: What if the Colts kept Philip Rivers for one more year?
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
The Colts What If series revisits what could have changed if Philip Rivers stayed for another season
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Drew Brees says he couldn't return to the NFL, throws better left-handed now
Drew Brees, at 47, states he could not return to the NFL, citing significant arm issues. He now throws better left-handed due to years of wear and tear on his right arm from his extensive playing career
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