NFL legend who played into his mid-40s 'alarmed' by Philip Rivers’ return, gives QB advice

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In a wild turn of events, it looks like Philip Rivers will be suiting up in an NFL game for the first time in nearly five years.

Rivers just turned 44 earlier this week and recently became a grandfather, but after injuries to both Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard, the Indianapolis Colts had almost nowhere to turn.

It's as good a match as the Colts could find since Rivers played for Shane Steichen and the Colts in 2020. So, Rivers is familiar with the offense.

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers drops back to pass Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, during practice at the Colts training facility in Indianapolis. (Imagn)

But it's still been half a decade since he's been in the league. So Warren Moon, who also played in the NFL in his mid-40s, offered Rivers advice.

"Rely on your running backs. They've got a great running back (in Jonathan Taylor) behind him that they can lean on, and their offensive line is going to have to really play well, really play physical to control the line of scrimmage and keep him out of long-yardage situations," Moon told TMZ Sports.

"Because I think that's where he's going to be hurt the most if he has to go with those, you know, third-and-8, third-and-9, third-and-10s, where he might have to hold the football a little bit longer than he wants to. And does he have the escape ability to move around in the pocket like he used to when he played, having been away from it this long?"

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers before playing against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card game at Bills Stadium Jan. 9, 2021. (Rich Barnes/USA Today Sports)

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