Philip Rivers’ former high school team is excited to see the Colts quarterback make his return.

Philip Rivers Makes Unprecedented NFL Comeback

It’s not every day that a former NFL quarterback transitions into a high school football coach. But what’s even rarer? Coming back to the NFL after stepping away for five years.

Philip Rivers, now 44, is gearing up to start for the Colts in Week 15 against the Seahawks, while his high school team at St. Michael Catholic in Alabama expresses excitement over having their head coach back.

According to Simon Cortopassi, the assistant athletic director and defensive coordinator, the response to Rivers’ decision has been overwhelming. “We probably received 200 to 300 messages from the media through calls, texts, and emails,” he shared. “It was really crazy, but it’s going to be great for all of us to see.”

When senior receiver Tucker Tomlinson heard that Rivers might step in for Daniel Jones—who suffered a torn Achilles tendon—he found himself busy fixing school computers alongside his teammates. Later, they were blindsided by the news of Rivers heading to Indianapolis for training. “When I finally saw it, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is real,'” he said, reflecting on the moment.

Tomlinson admitted disbelief at first, stating how often such reports turn out to be false. “As you can see, you think it’s funny. I would joke with my son Gunner about it. It felt different this time, but it really happened.”

To celebrate, Tomlinson and his friends rented out a local Mexican restaurant for a game-watching party. Rivers took on the role of Cardinals coach back in 2021 after his retirement.

St. Michael Catholic, which opened in 2016 and had a rough start, experienced success under Rivers, achieving a 12-2 record last year and 13-1 this past season.

Fortunately for Rivers, there’s little new ground to cover. The Cardinals run the same offensive scheme as the Colts did during his last NFL season. “We’re literally running the exact same plan,” Tomlinson explained, emphasizing how they’re learning routes from Colts game footage.

To stay fit, Rivers regularly participates in team training and practices with his son Gunner, who is considered one of the top high school QB prospects in the country.

Rivers, boasting over 63,000 passing yards and 400 touchdowns in a stellar 17-year career, is essentially postponing his Hall of Fame induction for another five years by returning to the field this Sunday.

Despite the challenge, Cortopassi noted that Rivers isn’t overly concerned. “He just said, ‘I’ll do it,’ and he added, ‘There’s only one way to find out if you can do it, and that’s to try.’”