The San Francisco 49ers can feel pretty good about both returning to health and maintaining it fairly well over the past few weeks, standing in stark contrast to just how injury-plagued they were for the first half of the season.
In contrast, plenty of other squads across the NFL landscape seem to be trending in the opposite direction, including the Niners' Week 16 opponent, the Indianapolis Colts.
Indy, of course, just lost resurgent quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending Achilles tear; a brutal injury that comes at a point when Indianapolis' playoff aspirations are in free-fall mode. Losers of three in a row, and four of five, the Colts' once-solid hold on the top seed in the AFC has wholly evaporated.
It's cliché to say something like, "desperate times call for desperate measures." But the saying truly applies here.
And Indianapolis is fully embracing it with its latest transaction.
Philip Rivers returns to Colts, could play 49ers in Week 16
Philip Rivers, the 44-year-old well-traveled quarterback whose heyday came with the San Diego Chargers, is joining Indy's practice squad, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter the Tuesday after Jones' injury:
ESPN Sources: 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who has not played in the NFL since the 2020 COVID season, is signing to the QB-needy Indianapolis Colts practice squad. pic.twitter.com/oOIVQEY38x
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 9, 2025
Rivers' last squad, ironically, was Indianapolis way back in 2020 when he started 16 games there before (apparently) calling it a career.
The eight-time Pro Bowler whose 63,440 passing yards rank seventh all time in NFL history, would likely be a shoo-in first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee for the first year of his eligibility in 2026.
But, should Rivers wind up being promoted from the practice squad to the Colts' gameday roster, that eligibility would be pushed back another five years.
Assuming he re-retires again, following this season.
San Francisco, meanwhile, doesn't have to keep too many tabs on the current situation developing in Indianapolis. The 49ers are aiming for their Week 15 opponent, the two-win Tennessee Titans, while the Colts hope Rivers can help them upend a Niners key rival, the Seattle Seahawks, over the upcoming weekend.