Colts quarterback Philip Rivers announces retirement, already has a new job lined up
Quarterback Philip Rivers attempted 8,134 passes in what is now his former NFL career, and he threw the ball more against the Chiefs than any other team.
Rivers, who told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Tuesday night that he was retiring from the NFL after 17 seasons, had 1,011 passing attempts in 29 games against the Chiefs. He had 41 career touchdown passes against the Chiefs, who also intercepted 39 of his passes, the most of any of Rivers’ opponents.
Rivers played this past season with the Colts after 16 seasons with the Chargers in San Diego and Los Angeles. The Chiefs finished with a 15-14 record against Rivers. The final meeting on Dec. 29, 2019, which Kansas City won 31-21, tipped the scales in the Chiefs’ favor.
“I love to go at it with those guys, as everybody knows, but I also have a great respect for them and how hard they play,” Rivers said of the Chiefs at the time.
Rivers also had a fun interaction with a Chiefs fan he got to know through the many visits to Arrowhead Stadium.
Football always seemed fun for Rivers, who threw for 309 yards earlier this month in the Colts’ Wild Card playoff loss at Buffalo. Rivers, 39, seemed to have something left in the tank, but told the Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee, “it’s just time. It’s just right.“
“I can sit here and say, ‘I can still throw it. I love to play,’” Rivers added. “But that’s always going to be there. I’m excited to go coach high school football.”
Last year, Rivers was hired as the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama at the end of his playing career.
Rivers told the Union-Tribune he hopes to start before spring football.
NFL.com noted Rivers finishes his career with the fifth-most passing yards in NFL history (63,440), fifth-most passing touchdowns (421), and fifth-most pass completions (5,277). He played in 252 straight games, including the playoffs, and hadn’t missed a start since becoming the Chargers’ starter in 2006.
“It was awesome,” Rivers told the Union-Tribune of his career. “A young kid from northern Alabama who grew up wanting to play pro ball. I got to do it.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 8:47 AM.
