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The 40-Year-Old Quarterback: What Philip Rivers Really Reveals

December 16, 2025

The 40-Year-Old Quarterback: What Philip Rivers Really Reveals

Philip Rivers Practice

When Philip Rivers walked onto the Indianapolis Colts practice field last Wednesday, exactly 1,798 days after his last NFL snap, the football world collectively did a double-take.

The 44-year-old grandfather—yes, grandfather—who'd been coaching high school football in Alabama, was officially back in the NFL. By Saturday, he was on the active roster. By Sunday afternoon, he was starting against the Seattle Seahawks.

"I had not given any thought of playing again until about 48 hours ago, to be honest with you," Rivers said during his first press conference back.1

Yet here we are, watching a man who could almost qualify for AARP membership lining up under center in the most physically demanding professional sport in America. And he's not alone. Aaron Rodgers is 42 and starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe Flacco is 40 and backing up in Cleveland. Tom Brady played until 45.

So what's going on? Are quarterbacks really playing longer, or are we witnessing a small cluster of outliers that's warping our perception of what's possible?

The answer is more complicated—and more interesting—than the simple "QBs play longer now" narrative suggests.

The NC State Product's Unexpected Second Act

Rivers' journey back to the NFL reads like fiction. After 17 seasons—16 with the Chargers and one with the Colts in 2020—he retired in January 2021 with 63,440 career passing yards (seventh all-time) and 421 touchdown passes (sixth all-time).2

He took a high school coaching job at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, where his son Gunnar plays quarterback. For nearly five years, Rivers was content calling plays from the sideline, running the same offensive scheme the Colts use. He and Colts coach Shane Steichen—his former quarterbacks coach with the Chargers—even spoke weekly about plays and film.3

Then disaster struck in Indianapolis. Starting quarterback Daniel Jones tore his Achilles in Week 14. Backup Riley Leonard took over but suffered a PCL injury in the same game. Anthony Richardson remained on IR with an orbital fracture. Suddenly, the 8-5 Colts had zero healthy quarterbacks with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.4

Steichen picked up the phone. Rivers slept on it. Then he said, "Dadgummit, let's freaking go."5

The decision came with consequences. Rivers was a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist in his first year of eligibility. By joining the active roster, he pushed his candidacy back five years until 2031. He didn't care.

"I'm not holding my breath on that," Rivers said. "The extension of time, if that comes to be, was not a factor in my thinking."6

What mattered was the opportunity to compete again. To prove he still could. To potentially help a team make the playoffs one more time.

The Tom Brady Effect—And Why It's Misleading

Tom Brady at 40

When people talk about quarterbacks playing into their 40s, one name dominates the conversation: Tom Brady.

Brady didn't just play past 40—he thrived. He won two Super Bowls in his 40s (ages 41 and 43). He won the MVP at 40. At 44, he led the NFL in pass attempts, completions, and yards while finishing second in MVP voting.7

His final season at 45 produced 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns, and a 90.7 passer rating. Sure, the Buccaneers went 8-9, but Brady was still objectively good by any measure.8

The problem? Brady was a unicorn. An outlier among outliers. Comparing any quarterback to Brady is like comparing basketball players to Michael Jordan or hockey players to Wayne Gretzky—it sets an impossible standard.

Here's the reality check: Very few quarterbacks even make it to 40, let alone play well past that age.

ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham put it bluntly when discussing Rivers' return: "Against all logic, sanity and reason, the NFL has kind of become an old man's game for quarterbacks." But then he added the crucial caveat: for a very select few.9

Let's look at the actual numbers.

The Brutal Math of QB Longevity

Age Notable Active QBs (2025)
44 Philip Rivers
42 Aaron Rodgers
40 Joe Flacco
39 Josh Johnson
37 Russell Wilson
36 Kirk Cousins
Under 30 ~24 starting QBs (75% of league)

That's right: three-quarters of NFL starting quarterbacks are under 30 years old.10

Even reaching 35 is rare. Many of the most productive quarterbacks in NFL history retired at age 38 (John Elway, Eli Manning, Dan Marino) or 39 (Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger). Rivers himself originally retired at 39.11

The narrative that "40 is the new norm" for quarterbacks, as Troy Aikman predicted just a year ago, hasn't materialized. In fact, analysts now argue we were wrong about QB longevity entirely.12

Since Brady retired in 2023, the aging quarterback cohort has dropped dramatically:

  • Aaron Rodgers: Turned 40, missed entire 2023 season with torn Achilles, struggled in 2024 with the Jets, now on his third team since age 40
  • Russell Wilson: Released by Broncos at 35, bounced to Steelers, now playing for his third team in three years
  • Kirk Cousins: Signed with Falcons, benched in December for rookie Michael Penix
  • Ryan Tannehill: Benched at 35, hasn't found work since
  • Geno Smith: Hasn't replicated his 2022 success, now with the Raiders13

"We may have already witnessed the last good season of certain quarterbacks who don't seem old now but will age five years in the next 18 months," one analyst wrote in July 2025.14

The takeaway? Playing into your 40s remains exceedingly rare, and playing well past 40 is reserved for maybe five quarterbacks in NFL history.

Why Some QBs Last Longer (And Most Don't)

So what separates the Brady's and Brees' from everyone else? Several factors contribute to quarterback longevity—or lack thereof.

1. Rule Changes Protecting QBs

The modern NFL has implemented extensive rules to protect quarterbacks from devastating hits. Roughing the passer penalties, hits to the head, and low blocks have all been restricted or banned. This theoretically should extend careers.15

But there's a catch: these rules only help if you avoid hits in the first place. Brady's career was defined by his pocket presence and quick release. Drew Brees mastered the timing pass. Philip Rivers famously had the second-most consecutive starts (240) for any quarterback, suggesting both durability and smart play.16

Quarterbacks who hold the ball too long or scramble frequently still get hurt—rules or no rules.

2. Advances in Training and Recovery

Modern quarterbacks have access to training methods, nutrition science, and recovery techniques that were unavailable even 15 years ago. TB12's infamous diet and training regimen became a blueprint for many.

Rivers stayed in shape coaching high school, working with NFL and college quarterbacks in the offseason. "He didn't forget how to throw a football," Steichen said after Rivers' workout.17

But again: staying in shape doesn't mean you can process NFL defenses at game speed or avoid injuries when 250-pound linebackers eventually hit you.

3. Mental Processing Beats Physical Tools

The one area where age actually helps quarterbacks is mental processing. Veterans understand game situations, read defenses faster, and make fewer mental errors.

"You don't play football for that many games in a row if you're getting hit all the time," Wickersham noted about Rivers' consecutive starts streak. Smart quarterbacks extend their careers by avoiding unnecessary hits.18

This is why immobile quarterbacks like Brady, Manning, and Rivers could succeed past 40. Their games were never based on scrambling ability—they won with their minds.

4. The Demand for Quality Passers

Perhaps the most important factor: NFL teams are desperate for competent quarterback play. The position is so valuable that teams will roll the dice on older veterans rather than trust unproven rookies.

The Colts' situation perfectly illustrates this. Rather than fully commit to rookie Riley Leonard or sign a washed-up veteran off the street, they brought back a 44-year-old who knew the system and had a relationship with the coaching staff.

"They wanted me," Rivers said simply. "I try to keep it as simple as that."19

The Asterisk on QB Longevity

Here's the uncomfortable truth about 40-year-old quarterbacks: most of them aren't actually good anymore.

Looking at quarterbacks age 40 or older with at least 200 pass attempts, only five in NFL history have posted above-average efficiency stats: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Warren Moon, and Vinny Testaverde.20

That's it. Five quarterbacks. Ever.

Even among that elite group, only Brady consistently played well past 42. Brees retired after his age-41 season. Favre's final season at 41 was marred by interceptions and injury. Moon and Testaverde were backups by their early 40s.21

The rest? They either retired before 40 or played poorly after reaching that milestone.

Aaron Rodgers at 42 is batting .200 with the Steelers. Joe Flacco's "late-career resurgence" means he's bounced between backup roles on four teams in three years. Josh Johnson has been on 14 different teams.22

These aren't inspiring success stories—they're cautionary tales of quarterbacks hanging on too long.

So Why Is Rivers Different?

What makes Rivers' situation unique is that he doesn't need to prove anything. He's not clinging to glory or chasing a Hall of Fame induction. He's not desperate for one more payday.

He's genuinely just trying to help.

Rivers retired on his own terms, had a fulfilling post-football life, and was perfectly happy coaching his son. The Colts didn't call because Rivers had been pestering them for a comeback—they called because they were out of options and remembered how professional he'd been in 2020.

That 2020 season with Indianapolis produced an 11-5 record and a playoff berth despite a COVID-19-shortened season. Rivers completed 68% of his passes for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Not spectacular, but more than adequate.[^23]

The familiarity matters too. Fourteen players from that 2020 roster are still with the Colts. The training staff is the same. The equipment managers are the same. Rivers isn't walking into an unfamiliar situation—he's coming home.[^24]

"Training room is the same. PR guys are the same. Equipment room is the same," Rivers said. "They wanted me."[^25]

And on Sunday? Reality hit.

In his first NFL game since January 9, 2021—exactly 1,798 days—Rivers completed 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a heartbreaking 18-16 loss to Seattle. The Seahawks won without scoring a touchdown, relying on six Jason Myers field goals, including a 56-yarder with 29 seconds left.1

Rivers threw his first touchdown pass since the 2021 playoffs—an 8-yard strike to Josh Downs that put the Colts ahead 13-3. "It was exciting," Rivers said afterward. "We practiced in the exact same spot this week. So, when things go like that, they fire you up. Obviously, you throw in the fact that it's been 1,800 days since throwing a touchdown."2

But the offense stalled repeatedly in the red zone. The Colts managed just 16 points despite Jonathan Taylor rushing for 87 yards. Rivers' final pass was an interception as he tried to force the ball downfield in the closing seconds, picked off by Coby Bryant.3

The result? Indianapolis has now lost four straight and five of six, falling to 8-6 and out of playoff position in the AFC.4

The smart money was right: a competent performance, not enough to win, and the harsh reality that even the smartest 44-year-old can't overcome the physical limitations of age. Rivers managed the game well enough to keep them close, but couldn't deliver the magic they needed.

The romantic Hollywood ending? It's looking less likely by the week.

The Real Answer

So why are NFL quarterbacks playing into their 40s now?

The uncomfortable answer: They're not. Not really.

Yes, a few outliers like Brady lasted until 45. Yes, a handful of capable veterans like Rodgers and Flacco are hanging around at 40-42. And yes, Rivers just made the craziest comeback of 2025.

But these are exceptions, not the rule. For every Brady, there are dozens of quarterbacks who retire at 35-38 because their bodies break down, their arms weaken, or younger replacements arrive.

The truth is more nuanced than "quarterbacks play longer now." What's actually happening is:

  1. The best quarterbacks (Brady, Brees, Favre) can play well into their 40s if they're smart, lucky with injuries, and physically exceptional
  2. Most quarterbacks still retire before 40
  3. NFL teams are so desperate for competent QB play they'll take chances on older veterans rather than unproven rookies
  4. Modern rules and training help, but only marginally

Philip Rivers' return isn't evidence that 44-year-old quarterbacks can compete—it's evidence that the NFL quarterback market is so broken that a playoff-contending team would rather sign a grandfather who hasn't played in five years than trust their current options.

And somehow, that's actually the most reasonable decision available.

Sources

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