After 17 seasons, Phillip Rivers is hanging it up. The Indianapolis Colts QB has announced his retirement from the NFL, after spending his entire career with the Los Angeles Chargers other than this final year in Indy.
He played college football at North Carolina State and was selected in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft as the fourth overall pick by the New York Giants, who traded him to the San Diego Chargers during the draft.
After spending his first two seasons in a backup role, Rivers served as the Chargers’ starting quarterback from 2006 to 2019. During his tenure with the Chargers, he was named to eight Pro Bowls while leading the team to four division titles and six postseason appearances.
Rivers also helped the team win their first playoff game since 1994 during the 2007 season, which culminated in a trip to the AFC Championship Game. With the Colts in 2020, he qualified for the playoffs a seventh time as a starter. He was less successful in the postseason, however, where he compiled a 5–7 record and never made a Super Bowl appearance.
Rivers ranks fifth in passing yards (64,440) and touchdowns (421), both of which are the most of quarterbacks who do not have a Super Bowl appearance or title. He is also second all-time in consecutive regular season starts by a quarterback at 242, having started every regular season game between 2006 and 2020. Rivers is considered among the best quarterbacks to not reach the Super Bowl.
For more sports, news and entertainment, follow the Midwest Sports Network on Twitter @MWSNsports or like the MWSN page on Facebook.
