Sources: Colts to start Riley Leonard over Philip Rivers in finale

INDIANAPOLIS — Philip Rivers’ second act has come to an end.

The Indianapolis Colts are turning to rookie Riley Leonard as their starting quarterback for Sunday’s season finale at the Houston Texans, sources told ESPN, ending veteran Rivers’ run after coming out of a five-year retirement.

Rivers, the longtime NFL great who retired after a single season with the Colts in 2020, rejoined the team earlier this month after the season-ending injury to starter Daniel Jones. With 2023 first-round pick Anthony Richardson Sr. also on injured reserve from a previous injury, the Colts were left with few options. Coach Shane Steichen, one of Rivers’ closest friends, coaxed Rivers out of retirement because of his intimate knowledge of the offense and leadership capacity.

But with the Colts eliminated from playoff contention last weekend, the team had to weigh whether it made sense to continue starting the 44-year-old Rivers who is not in their future plans. Steichen said this week he was navigating the situation and planned to speak with Rivers before making a decision. Steichen seemed to acknowledge that Rivers had some desire to play.

“Bringing Philip in here to come here and play is what he wanted to do,” Steichen said.

He added, “Those are conversations that we’re having with him to see how that goes. And that’s pretty much it. Getting a feel for him.”

Rivers said after Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that he’d accept any decision the team made. The Colts made the surprising move to sign Rivers in a desperate attempt to make the postseason. They were in the thick of the AFC playoff race when Jones was injured and, knowing they’d need consistent quarterback play to stay there, they took a flier on Rivers.

Indianapolis ended up 0-3 with Rivers under center, but he certainly gave their offense a fighting chance. It was no masterpiece, but Rivers was competent, completing 63% of his pass attempts (58 of 92) for 544 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Philips had been a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 before unretiring. Now he won’t be eligible for consideration again until 2031.

Leonard, a sixth-round pick from Notre Dame, will make his first career start against the Texans’ fearsome defense.

The prospect of Leonard starting on Sunday, Steichen said, “will be good for his development.”

Richardson, who is recovering from an orbital fracture and injury to his right eye, returned in recent weeks but is still on injured reserve. He is not expected to be activated before Sunday.

It’s not clear what the quarterback depth chart for Sunday’s game will be. The Colts on Monday added quarterback Seth Henigan to their practice squad. He spent four weeks on the Jaguars’ practice squad earlier this season and could, theoretically, be added to the active roster for Sunday’s game.