It isn’t surprising for the NFL to contact retired players to make a comeback. The Indianapolis Colts recently contacted Philip Rivers to make a return as the team’s backup quarterback. But what was surprising was that last week on NFL Network, former quarterback Matt Ryan shared a surprising piece of news.

Rivers’ revelation led Katie Nolan, host of the Casuals podcast, to ask the legendary player if his former team, the Colts, had reached out to him about a comeback. In response, Matt said,

“No, they didn’t call me. They must have heard about that workout I had with Matthew Stafford during the summer and said, ‘We’re good, we’re done.’ If you can’t make it through that, you can’t make it through a game. Chris Ballard, the GM of the Colts, did not call me. So I’m officially no longer in the Rolodex of teams looking for four-year-old quarterbacks.”

The 40-year-old Ryan had always wanted to make a comeback after his retirement, but the reality became clear to him during last summer’s vacation. While throwing passes back and forth with Matthew Stafford felt fine at the time, the next morning was a different story, as he said,

“I woke up the next day, and my arm was hanging like this,” said Ryan. “My left oblique was so sore from the amount of torque that you put on that.”

It served as a painful reminder that while he might still have the skill, his body is no longer conditioned for the “blindside blitz” of professional sports.

Despite this, Ryan admitted that he actually did receive offers in the past. In 2023, two different teams contacted him about a return, but he turned them down because the situations didn’t align with his personal goals or the needs of his family. 

Matt Ryan retired after a stellar 15-year career, spending 14 seasons as the face of the Atlanta Falcons before playing his final year with the Colts in 2022. A former League MVP and four-time Pro Bowler, he famously led the Falcons to a Super Bowl and multiple NFC Championship games. For now, he seems happy to leave his legacy on the field.

The Colts’ first game with Philip Rivers in the 2025 season after his retirement 

Philip Rivers stunned the NFL this week by coming out of retirement to play for the Colts. The team was in a desperate situation after their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. To make matters worse, backup Riley Leonard was dealing with a knee injury, and former first-round pick Anthony Richardson remained out with a facial fracture. Despite being 44, Rivers had stayed in good enough shape to step back onto the field on Sunday.

The Seattle Seahawks barely beat the Colts with a score of 18–16. It was a special game because Rivers came out of retirement to play for the Colts. He didn’t put up massive numbers, completing 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards and a single touchdown to Josh Downs, but he provided the steady leadership Coach Shane Steichen was looking for.

Looking at the team’s game on the field, for most of the game, Seattle couldn’t score any touchdowns. Instead, their kicker, Jason Myers, scored all 18 of their points by kicking six field goals, which is now a new team record.

There was indeed a time when it looked like the game was in the Colts’ favor, as with only 47 seconds left, the team took a 16–15 lead. However, Seattle’s quarterback, Sam Darnold, quickly moved the team down the field. With just 29 seconds remaining, Myers kicked a huge 56-yard field goal to put Seattle back in the lead.

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With only 18 seconds left on the clock, the Colts launched a final, frantic attempt to salvage the game. Those hopes were quickly extinguished when Philip Rivers took a shot downfield toward Michael Pittman, only for Coby Bryant to jump the route and snag a game-sealing interception. Seattle’s offense returned to the turf for the final snap, ending the game with a victory.

This win helped Seattle stay at the top of their division (11–3), while the Colts (8–6) are now in danger of missing the playoffs.