Tom Brady wasn’t the only over-40 retired quarterback that teams have inquired about their potential comeback.
Philip Rivers, who is the head football coach at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Ala., last played in the NFL for the Colts in the 2020 season, which ended in a wild-card round loss to the Buffalo Bills. The New Orleans Saints reportedly tried to bring Rivers out of retirement in the 2021 season, and Indianapolis reportedly discussed bringing back the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
NFL Media host Rich Eisen revealed what those around the league had told him during his time at the NFL Scouting Combine. One of those news items was the Dolphins were a team to “keep an eye on” for a potential Tom Brady team. He also revealed Rivers contacted Miami and the San Francisco 49ers prior to the playoffs last season.
Brady denied an attempt at a comeback on Twitter on Tuesday, and Rivers also denied his own comeback attempt.
“I heard from a couple of teams just kind of checking in,” Rivers told Ben Thomas of AL.com. “I didn’t contact anyone, and I’m not going anywhere. I think maybe some teams, with some guys going down, may have been just looking for a contingency plan, but nothing came of it.”
The Dolphins were without Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater in the wild-card round against the Bills and were forced to start rookie Skylar Thompson, who almost upset Buffalo. The San Francisco 49ers rolled into the playoffs with Brock Purdy, who remained healthy until he suffered a shoulder injury in the NFC Championship against the Philadelphia Eagles.
A veteran quarterback with playoff experience certainly would have helped those teams, but Rivers told Al.com he did not contact the Dolphins and the “ship has sailed” on a 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 rumblings Eisen heard at the NFL combine this year seemed to have given him false or over-exaggerated information. It also showed Miami was heavily talked about when it came to quarterbacks amid their support of Tagovailoa.
