Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack, winning ACC Player of the Year and ACC Athlete of the Year between 2003 and 2004. Rivers was selected fourth overall in the 2004 NFL draft by the New York Giants, who traded him to the San Diego Chargers during the draft.
After spending his first two seasons as a backup, Rivers served as the Chargers' starting quarterback from 2006 to 2019. During his tenure, Rivers received eight Pro Bowl selections while leading the team to six postseason appearances and four division titles. He also helped the franchise win their first playoff game since 1994 and reach the AFC Championship Game during the 2007 season. Rivers joined the Colts in 2020, making a seventh playoff appearance before retiring. Following four years away from the NFL, Rivers re-signed with the Colts near the end of the 2025 season, where he played his final three games.
Rivers ranks sixth all-time in passing yards and touchdowns, both of which are the highest among quarterbacks without Super Bowl appearances. He is also second all-time in consecutive regular season starts by a quarterback, having started every regular season game between 2006 and 2020. Rivers is considered among the greatest quarterbacks to have never played in a Super Bowl.
Early life Rivers was born in Decatur, Alabama, where his father, Steve, was the head coach of Decatur High's football team and his mother, Joan, was a teacher. As part of a fifth-grade project, he had to make a poster about his dreams and aspirations. On the poster, he pasted his face over that of a Minnesota Vikings player who had appeared on a cover of Sports Illustrated. Rivers' first start in an official game came in the seventh grade, in 1994. He has worn the number 17 jersey since the ninth grade, in honor of his father, who wore the same number in high school. After his dad got the head coaching job, Rivers played high school football at Athens High School in nearby Athens.
As Rivers' senior season unfolded, he established himself as the best prep passer in the state. Although he had offers from Auburn University and the University of Alabama, neither projected him as a starting quarterback. Rivers rejected them in order to go to a program where he would have more playing time. The first college to seriously recruit Rivers as a quarterback was North Carolina State University. Joe Pate convinced Rivers and his parents to consider graduating from high school in December 1999.
College career After high school, Rivers attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he played for coach Chuck Amato's Wolfpack teams. Rivers enrolled in January and suited up for his first practice as a college quarterback in the spring of 2000.
2000 season As a freshman in 2000, Rivers led NC State to an 8–4 record, including a win against Minnesota in the MicronPC Bowl. Four of the Wolfpack's victories were comebacks. In his debut, a 38–31 double-overtime win over Arkansas State, he passed for 397 yards and three touchdowns. He directed a 74-yard game-tying drive as time expired. A week later, he threw for 401 yards in a 41–38 win against Indiana. The performance was highlighted by a timely 47-yard pass to future first round pick Koren Robinson with under a minute to go. Against Duke, NC State trailed 31–28 late in the fourth quarter when Rivers scored a rushing touchdown on a seven-yard run. Rivers threw for a season-high 413 yards to go along with three touchdowns and one interception For the season, Rivers passed for 3,054 yards and 25 touchdowns. He broke a half-dozen school passing marks, was ACC Rookie of the Week a record eight times, and earned honors as the conference Freshman of the Year. For the first time since Roman Gabriel ran the Wolfpack offense in the early 1960s, NC State had an All-American caliber quarterback.
2001 season As a sophomore in 2001, Rivers connected for 2,586 yards and 16 touchdowns. His 65.2 percent completion mark led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Wolfpack finished the 2001 campaign at 7–4 and made a return trip to the Tangerine Bowl. The quarterback had a good game against Pitt in a 34–19 loss, passing for 189 yards and a touchdown.
2002 season In 2002, Rivers led the Wolfpack to victories in their first nine games, which led to a number #10 ranking in the AP Poll. It was the best start in the school's history. The season took a disappointing turn however when they lost three consecutive ACC contests, but NC State defeated Florida State by a score of 17–7 in their season finale, and received an invitation to play against Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. Once again, Rivers delivered an MVP performance in the most important game of the year, pacing the Wolfpack to a dominating 28–6 win over Notre Dame. In the victory, Rivers was 23-of-37 for 228 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. The game would set up a remarkable year for Rivers in 2003.
2003 season As a senior in 2003, Rivers threw for 4,491 yards and 34 touchdowns in 12 games, capping his career as the most productive and durable quarterback in ACC history.
In the 2003 season, Rivers passed for over 300 yards eight times and 400 yards four times to go along with 29 touchdowns in the regular season. He led the NCAA in passer rating (170.5) and completion percentage (72%). He also led the ACC in passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns. NC State finished with a 7–5 record to qualify for a bowl game.
Rivers's time at NC State had a positive ending, leading the Wolfpack to a 56–26 win over Kansas in his third Tangerine Bowl. In the victory, he threw for a career-high 475 yards and five touchdowns. Philip earned his second straight bowl MVP award. At the end of the season, Rivers was named ACC Player of the Year for the 2003 football season and ACC Athlete of the Year for 2003–04. He was considered a Heisman candidate during the season, but he was not invited to the Heisman Trophy presentation, where he finished in seventh place.
Legacy During his collegiate career, Rivers broke almost every NC State and ACC passing record. He started 51 straight games and completed a conference record 1,147 passes on 1,710 attempts, with 95 touchdowns. His career culminated with an NCAA record 51st consecutive college start. The Wolfpack went to four consecutive bowl games under the leadership of Rivers, winning three of them. Rivers finished his career at NC State with 13,484 passing yards, 13th all-time among Division I quarterbacks (he finished in second place at the end of his collegiate career). He also threw 95 touchdown passes, which tied him with Kliff Kingsbury and Brady Quinn. Rivers' number was retired before his final home game at North Carolina State.
Professional career
Rivers was projected to be an early first-round pick in the 2004 NFL draft. However, despite Rivers' record of success in college and high accuracy (72 completion percentage for his senior season), questions about his lack of arm strength and his unorthodox side-arm throwing motion were concerns for some NFL general managers. The pre-draft consensus was that Rivers could be selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 11th pick. The San Diego Chargers coveted Eli Manning and wanted to select him with their first round pick, which was also the first overall pick of the draft. However, after Manning indicated before the draft that he would not sign with them, Rivers was their first alternative because the Chargers' head coach at the time, Marty Schottenheimer, had coached him at the Senior Bowl and he liked what he saw. The Chargers agreed to a draft day deal with the New York Giants. San Diego selected Manning first, then traded him to New York for Rivers, selected fourth by the Giants, plus draft picks later used by the Chargers on future Pro Bowlers Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.
Rivers was one of 17 quarterbacks taken in the 2004 NFL draft, along with Manning and the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger. Rivers, Manning, and Roethlisberger would all enjoy lengthy and successful careers with the teams that signed them and have been compared favorably to the 1983 NFL draft, which included Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino. Unlike Manning and Roethlisberger, who have two championships each, Rivers never reached the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, he is the highest in touchdowns, completion percentage, TD–INT ratio, passer rating, and Pro Bowl selections out of the trio. Rivers also had the most passing yards and pass completions at the time of his first retirement.
San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers 2004 season
In August 2004, Rivers signed a six-year, $40.5 million contract with the San Diego Chargers that included $14.5 million in signing bonuses. However, due to a protracted contract negotiation with the San Diego Chargers, Rivers only reported to the team during the last week of training camp, and incumbent Drew Brees retained his starting job. Rivers began the season as the Chargers' third quarterback option, behind Doug Flutie, and ahead of the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, Cleo Lemon. Unfortunately for Rivers, Brees went on to have a then-career year and was named to the NFL Pro Bowl while winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Rivers received very limited playing time, playing in only two games. He only threw passes in the second half of the last game of the 2004 season, a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, by which time the Chargers had already clinched a home playoff spot and the AFC West division title. In the victory, he threw his first touchdown pass to fellow rookie Malcom Floyd. He was not on the active roster for San Diego's Wild Card Round playoff loss to the New York Jets.
2005 season
Rivers was promoted to second on the Chargers quarterback depth chart after Flutie was released. Rivers was unable to beat out Brees for the starting quarterback job in the Chargers' 2005 training camp and preseason. In the Chargers' final game of the 2005 season, at home in Qualcomm Stadium, Rivers entered the game after Brees dislocated his right shoulder late in the second quarter due to a hit from Denver Broncos safety John Lynch. Rivers completed 12 of 22 passing attempts for 115 yards with one interception and two fumbles. The Chargers lost to Denver, 23–7. However, Rivers led the Chargers on their only scoring drive that game, which culminated in a four-yard touchdown run by running back LaDainian Tomlinson.
2006 season
After the 2005 season, Brees was not re-signed (partly due to the injury suffered in the Denver game) by the Chargers. Instead he signed a large contract that included sizeable guaranteed money with the New Orleans Saints, during the 2006 free agency period. Many doubted the Chargers' decision to change quarterbacks as they were a Super Bowl contender, believing that Rivers' inexperience would hinder them. Rivers was named the Chargers' starter going into training camp. Expectations were high for Rivers due to the large amount of talent on the Chargers' offense and the performance of his peers from the 2004 draft (Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger) as starters.
Football Outsiders projected that Rivers would become an NFL star before the 2006 season due to his spectacular completion percentage in college (72% as a senior). After just five NFL starts, Rivers was named the second best NFL quarterback under 25 years of age by Sports Illustrated.
On September 11, 2006, Rivers made his first NFL start against the Oakland Raiders. Rivers managed the game well despite only passing 11 times, but completed 8 passes, one for a touchdown, in a 27–0 rout of the Raiders. After his first game, Rivers led the league in quarterback rating with 133.9.