Will Philip Rivers' Hall of Fame Candidacy Timeline Be Impacted by Colts Contract?

Philip Rivers is on the doorstep of the Hall of Fame as one of the 26 modern-era semifinalists for the 2026 class, but that timeline will change if he plays for the Indianapolis Colts this season.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Indianapolis is signing the 44-year-old who hasn't played since the 2020 campaign to its practice squad.

That it is just the practice squad of now is notable, as Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk reported a Pro Football Hall of Fame spokesperson said Rivers' induction clock resets if he is on the active roster.

Such a promotion to the active roster would mean the Hall of Fame would remove him from the eligible modern-era players. And that would remain the case even if he was named as one of the modern-era finalists while he is on the team's practice squad.

"If he's signed to the practice squad, and that's his status with the team (and thus still eligible for Hall) for an extended period to the point that we announce the final 15, and he then goes active, he'd come off, and we'd have 14," the spokesperson said.

Signing Rivers at this stage may seem like a move of desperation from the Colts, but they are a desperate team. Starting quarterback Daniel Jones is out for the season with an Achilles injury, while Anthony Richardson has been on injured reserve since October due to a broken orbital.

Head coach Shane Steichen told reporters Monday that Richardson will not be activated ahead of Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. What's more, Steichen said Riley Leonard is "working through" a knee injury he suffered when he entered the previous game against the Jacksonville Jaguars for Jones.

▶️ Full Colts-Jaguars Recap

05:48

Steichen noted "the hope" is Leonard is available for the Seahawks game, which would be important since the only other option outside of Rivers is activating Brett Rypien from the practice squad.

As for Rivers, he is one of the best quarterbacks of his generation with a resume that includes eight Pro Bowl selections and 12 different seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards. One of those seasons came in 2010 when he led the league with 4,710 passing yards for the San Diego Chargers.

Another came in 2020 for the Colts with 4,169.

Still, it has been five years since he has taken the field in an NFL game. He is also 44 years old and would be a massive question mark if he did play for Indianapolis. 

And it would also delay his chances at making the Hall of Fame.