Colts Reportedly Have Discussed Calling This QB With Carson Wentz Out

Might the Colts reach out to an old friend about possibly being a short-term fix to their quarterback situation?

Contacting Philip Rivers has been discussed by Indianapolis, according to The Athletic’s Zak Keefer. The Colts will be without their starting signal-caller for at least one game as a result of Carson Wentz, who is unvaccinated, landing on the reserve COVID-19 list Tuesday.

Rivers played one season in Indy before retiring from the NFL. He fared rather well in his age-39 campaign, throwing for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns over a full 16-game slate. The Rivers-led Colts went 11-5 in the 2020 regular season — the franchise’s best mark since 2014 — and narrowly fell to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round.

Should Indianapolis reach out to Rivers, the organization reportedly wouldn’t be the first to do so this season. The Saints apparently gave him a call after their second- and third-string quarterbacks — Taysom Hill and Trevor Simiean — landed on the COVID list ahead of New Orleans’ Monday night matchup with the Miami Dolphins. Rivers evidently wasn’t interested, forcing the Saints to roll with rookie QB Ian Book.

It’s looking like Indy will turn to a first-year quarterback this weekend as well. Sam Ehlinger is expected to be under center for the 9-6 Colts this Sunday when they host the 8-7 Las Vegas Raiders.