Colts HC Shane Steichen Leaves Door Open for Philip Rivers to Start vs. Seahawks

Philip Rivers received a call from Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen about ending his five-year retirement and possibly re-joining the team on their practice squad on Sunday. One Sunday later, and the 44-year-old Rivers might be putting on the pads and going up against one of the NFL's top defenses.

Steichen didn't commit to who will start at quarterback for the Colts when they take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, leaving the possibility that Rivers could play in the coming days.

"We're going to go through this week of practice, see how it goes and then we'll make a decision at the end of the week, probably," Steichen told reporters on Wednesday.

Rookie Riley Leonard replaced Daniel Jones at quarterback when the veteran suffered an Achilles injury during Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was initially believed that Leonard would get the start for the Colts against the Seahawks as primary backup Anthony Richardson is still dealing with an eye injury. But Leonard is also dealing with a knee injury this week, and even then, Steichen hinted that the rookie's health status might not be the lone factor in determining who starts Sunday's game.

"We'll see how the week goes and we'll make that decision," Steichen said when asked if Leonard will start if he's healthy. 

Steichen added that Leonard will practice on Wednesday. 

As for Rivers, Steichen said that the team called him shortly after Sunday's loss and he immediately expressed interest in unretiring. From there, both sides quickly got the ball rolling on a deal.

"He said, ‘I need to get up there, I need to get up there and throw, get in that building, start moving around,'" Steichen said. "So, he came in here and threw. He didn't forget how to