Eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers doesn't appear to have any imminent plans for retirement, but he says he has at least entertained the possibility.
Rivers, whose 10-5 Colts team would need help to avoid becoming the first 11-5 team to miss the playoffs since the 2008 Patriots, is approaching the conclusion of his 17th season in the league.
Asked by a reporter this week if he plans to hang 'em up in the event the Colts are eliminated from the playoffs in Week 17, Rivers said the matter is not foremost on his mind but it's not something he has ruled out either.
"It did cross my mind," said Rivers, who turned 39 this month. "If things don't go the way you want this weekend, it could be. ... I guess it's healthy to have that thought because we're not guaranteed anything going forward."
Rivers, who spent the first 16 seasons of his career with the Chargers, signed a one-year deal with the Colts last offseason, after some questioned whether he'd find a home as a starter.
On Wednesday he appeared to be acknowledging the reality that there may not be a strong market for his services -- a reasonable assessment given his age, relative decline in play, and the reality that an injury is always a play away -- more so than signaling that he's actually embracing the end.
Still, coach Frank Reich has said repeatedly he hopes Rivers' stay in Indianapolis lasts several years, including as recently as this month.
Rivers was one of three highly touted quarterbacks drafted in the first round back in 2004. He was taken fourth overall by the New York Giants, who promptly flipped him to the Chargers, then based in San Diego, in exchange for first overall pick Eli Manning. Ben Roethlisberger went to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 11.
The trio of signal-callers each enjoyed standout careers, though Rivers was yet to win a Super Bowl title, compared to two apiece for Manning and Roethlisberger.
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