Nearly five years after his final NFL game, Philip Rivers has officially retired as a member of the Chargers, the team with which he spent 16 of his 17 seasons. Rivers, who spent his final season with the Indianapolis Colts, made the announcement in an emotional video that the Chargers posted on X on Monday evening.
Rivers officially retired as a Charger after signing paperwork that was delivered to him by several of his former offensive linemen. Rivers also received a congratulatory FaceTime call from Chargers president of football operations Dean Spanos.
“Thankful for those 16 years,” Rivers said in the video while thanking the Chargers. “Entrusting me to be the quarterback, and certainly never took it for granted. Suiting up to lead the Chargers for 240-something games in the row.”
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Rivers is part of one of the best quarterback draft classes in NFL history that also includes Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger. An eight-time Pro Bowler, Rivers owns virtually every Chargers franchise passing record. He is sixth in NFL history in career passing yards (63,440) and touchdown passes (421).
Arguably the most iconic moment of Rivers’ career was the 2007 AFC Championship game against the then-undefeated New England Patriots, when he played the entire game with a torn ACL. Despite the injury (and Hall of Fame teammate LaDainian Tomlinson being sidelined with an injury), Rivers’ grit kept the Chargers in the game until the very end.
Rivers is eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026. One of his former teammates, tight end Antonio Gates, will be inducted in Canton, Ohio later this summer.
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