49ers Would Have Signed Philip Rivers to Play Super Bowl 57, Kyle Shanahan Says

Retired NFL quarterback Philip Rivers might have joined the San Francisco 49ers roster if the team had made it to the 2023 Super Bowl, head coach Kyle Shanahan told the Boston Globe's Ben Volin.

"He was prepared to," Shanahan said about Rivers' return, saying the team had discussed the possibility of his comeback "throughout the whole year."

The 49ers came within one win of a Super Bowl appearance, but their playoff run ended with a 31-7 NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rivers last played for the Indianapolis Colts in 2020. Prior to that, he spent 16 seasons with the San Diego and then Los Angeles Chargers, making eight Pro Bowl appearances and leading the league with 4,710 receiving yards in 2010.

The 41-year-old quarterback was reportedly in contact with both the 49ers and the Miami Dolphins about coming out of retirement down the stretch last season, NFL insider Rich Eisen said in March.

During his 2020 season with the Colts, Rivers put together an 11-5 record thanks to 4,169 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns on a 68.0 pass completion rate.

Rivers announced his retirement from the NFL in January 2021. He finished his career ranked among the top 10 quarterbacks in NFL history in passing attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns and wins as a starter.

This apparently close call with the 49ers is not the first time Rivers has approached an NFL comeback. Rivers reportedly turned down an opportunity to join the New Orleans Saints as a backup to Ian Book late in the 2021 season, choosing to spend Christmas with his family instead.

The 49ers' talks with Rivers make sense given the uncertainty surrounding the team's signal callers in 2022. Trey Lance's season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, followed by Jimmy Garoppolo's season-ending foot injury in Week 13, left the team dependent on then-untested rookie Brock Purdy.

The 2022 season might have been the last time Rivers will contemplate a professional comeback. The former Colt, who is now a high school football coach in Alabama, told AL.com's Ben Thomas in March that "the ship has sailed" for his return to the NFL.

"I think in my mind in the last couple of years if a team had needed me, I might have had six or eight games left in me, but I'm not going into this fall thinking the same," Rivers said. "I think it's done."

The 49ers will instead lean on quarterback Brandon Allen to provide veteran presence in the quarterback depth chart.