#philip-rivers

#philip-rivers

The 44-year-old grandfather looked like he was throwing the football without a thumb. He had been retired for five years, presumably spending his Sundays arguing with a lawnmower or organizing a crowded minivan, before unretiring last week. And yet, there he was, carving up the San Francisco 49ers' defense on national television like a Whoville roast beast. It was some truly woeful stuff for a Niners squad that was in the driver's seat for the NFC's No. 1 seed.

"It's almost like a slap in my face, bro," "I ain't gonna lie." "Did Philip Rivers send any type of sign that he was available?" "Why you asking me to do something that everybody else didn't do? I ain't no sucker. I ain't no lab rat. Come on, bro."

With his 259.16 fantasy points so far this season, fifth most among quarterbacks and a larger total than he had in any of the previous three years, Matthew Stafford has leapfrogged Larry Fitzgerald, Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers to assume the eighth overall spot. Rivers' return could shake up the leaderboard: Stafford's entry into the top 10 pushed Rivers back to 11th in scoring. With Rivers signing with the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad on Tuesday, giving him a good chance at playing for the quarterback-starved team during the season's final four weeks, he has a chance to vault back into the top 10 in place of Matt Ryan.

Rivers has been retired since his final season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, but made clear in Monday's announcement: "I'm retiring a Charger."