The Indianapolis Colts continue to make big moves in the free agency period. On Monday, it was trading for DeForest Buckner. This time, it comes in the form of signing former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
After a somewhat questionable season from starter Jacoby Brissett, general manager Chris Ballard felt the need to improve the position going into 2020. Ballard did just that, signing Rivers to a one-year, 25 million dollar contract. This, along with the Buckner deal, puts the Colts in a “win now” mode as they try to get back to the playoffs after missing in 2019.
While Colts fans know mostly about Rivers from past battles, here are six things to know about the new Indianapolis starting quarterback:
Connection with Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni
While in San Diego, Rivers once had Frank Reich as both his quarterbacks coach (2013) and offensive coordinator (2014–2015). Working with Rivers in 2013, the Chargers made the playoffs as they finished the season 9-7. Rivers had arguably the best season of his career, as he set the team record for completion percentage at 69.5% and tied the team record with a passing rating of 105.5.
Reich was soon promoted to offensive coordinator the following year in 2014, and Rivers had another strong season. He completed 66% of his passes, threw for over 4,200 yards, plus threw 31 TD and 18 interceptions.
Even when the Chargers had a 4-12 season in 2015, Rivers had another strong campaign, which included a career-high 4,792 passing yards to go along with 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Contract details
The Colts and Rivers reached on a one-year deal worth $25 million, which is fully guaranteed. Indianapolis currently has Jacoby Brissett under contract for one more year as well with a cap hit of just over $21.3 million. With this signing, Rivers becomes the 12th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
While the money value makes sense, Drew Brees of the Saints earlier today signed a two-year, $50 million deal, this is only for one year. With Brissett and Rivers both having a year left on their deals, the long-term plan at quarterback is unanswered as of now. The draft is still to come for Indianapolis if they chose to draft a rookie quarterback.
Dependable
The Colts have had some unfortunate injury history with their quarterbacks. Peyton Manning missed a full season in 2011 with a neck injury, Andrew Luck missed multiple games with various injuries, and even Jacoby Brissett missed a game last year with an MCL injury.
Thankfully, Rivers is one of the more dependable quarterbacks in the NFL. Since becoming the full-time starter for the Chargers in 2006, Rivers has yet to miss a game and currently has the longest consecutive starts streak by any active player in the NFL at 224 games.
High production
Rivers is regarded to be one of the best quarterbacks in the last 15 years. The dependability and the strong play have been there, and Rivers has been rewarded with that. In 14 seasons as a starter, Rivers has been voted to eight Pro Bowls and three in the last four years.
When Rivers was with Reich in San Diego, 2013 was a Pro Bowl year for the veteran quarterback. As well as his strong play, the Chargers have enjoyed long success with Rivers as the quarterback, the Chargers have had eight winning seasons with Rivers under center.
Since becoming the starter in 2006, Rivers has averaged 4,223 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 14 touchdowns per season.
Motivated to win
This will be Rivers’ 17th NFL season, and only once has he sniffed an AFC Championship game. He has yet to make it to the Super Bowl as well. With Chris Ballard trading for DeForest Buckner and now signing Rivers, those are “win now” moves and it’s fair to assume Rivers signed to Indianapolis to win a Super Bowl.
With the AFC South taking hits this free agency—Houston trading Hopkins, Tennessee losing some key players and the Jaguars not truly in contention—this could be the year the Colts win the AFC South. It would be the first time they’ve done so since 2014.
Scheme fit
Reich mentioned before the 2019 season began how highly he thought of Rivers. Just before the Colts opened the season with the Chargers, this is what Reich had to say about his former quarterback:
“Yeah, Philip (Rivers) is an elite quarterback in this league. He has proven that year in and year out. He is a tough competitor. (It’s) a great test for our defense. He is everything you want in a quarterback. He is elite – elite accuracy, elite toughness, playmaking (and) a really good challenge for our defense.”
A factor to Rivers signing to Indianapolis, and a reason the Colts went after Rivers was the connection to Reich and Sirianni. The familiarity level is high between those three guys and with Reich getting what he wants in his quarterback, this should be a seamless fit for both sides.
