Philip Rivers shocked the NFL when he returned to the Indianapolis Colts last season.
He had been away from the league for half a decade, but when Indy called as injuries ravaged its quarterback room, Rivers answered.
Rivers played in three games and couldn’t quite save the Colts’ season, and then he rode off into retirement for a second team.
The brief interlude didn’t change the fact that Rivers is a rising mind in the world of football coaching.
So far, he has been coaching a high school powerhouse with his son at quarterback, but there’s some expectation when Rivers’ kid moves on to the next level, Rivers might do the same.
The latest reporting suggests that could be coming soon.
Philip Rivers Coaching News
Rivers is expected “to be in the mix” for the newly open North Carolina State head coaching job, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The Wolfpack just fired coach Dave Doeren on Saturday.
Rivers played at NC State, and his son Gunnar is a high school senior now committed to play there.
The fit would make a ton of sense.
Along with the usual crop of coaches and coordinators, a name expected to be in the mix in the NC State process is former star quarterback Philip Rivers. His son, Gunner Rivers, is a highly regarded quarterback recruit committed to play there in Class of 2027.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 24, 2026
Rivers was a standout quarterback for the Wolfpack in the early 2000s before being the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Chargers.
He then spent nearly his whole career with the Chargers, only coming to the Colts for the 2020 season before his first retirement — then getting those three games last year with Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson both out due to injury.
Rivers returned this fall to coach Gunnar’s senior season, and if Thamel’s reporting leads to anything more, father and son could continue to the next level together.
What About Colts?
An interesting subplot here is that many view Rivers as a future NFL head coach — he actually interviewed for the Buffalo Bills‘ gig in January.
And in Indianapolis, head coach Shane Steichen is on the hot seat. There’s a decent chance he doesn’t make it to next season.
Could the Colts decide to call Rivers? He’d have some familiarity with the leadership he’d be working for.
It’d probably be tough to pull off for Indy if Rivers wants to coach his son in college, and there’s no telling the Colts would actually want Rivers.
But at the moment, Rivers certainly appears ready to climb up the coaching ladder.
Philip Rivers Gets Career News After Shocking Colts Return